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October 29, 2007 4:00 AM PDT
The balance sheet on Windows Vista
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Clearly, though, those consumers opting to go to Windows XP are in the minority. Vista is now on 95 percent of the desktops on retail shelves and Vista-based laptops represent 91 percent of the models in retail aisles, Charney said, citing numbers from Current Analysis.
Strong Vista sales, whether due to Vista's popularity or just a strong PC market, are nonetheless important to the operating system's future. That's because as Vista's installed base grows, application developers and hardware makers will be more likely to create products that specifically take advantage of the new operating system, which in turn, becomes a further catalyst for sales.
Microsoft isn't mounting a massive ad campaign for Vista this holiday season, but said to expect strong marketing from key partners like Hewlett-Packard. The software maker has also kicked off an online marketing campaign touting the benefits of combining Windows Vista with Microsoft's Windows Live services, the most significant melding of the operating system and online businesses to date.
The software maker is counting on the upcoming holiday season--the industry's biggest selling period--to substantially boost the number of Vista machines out in the world. Apple's Macintosh does represent a formidable competitor for consumer sales, having gained significant market share at Windows' expense in the past year. And while this is the first holiday season for Vista, it's been on shelves for nine months, as compared with Apple's Mac OS X Leopard, which made its debut on Friday.
Microsoft said it isn't deterred by Apple's gains, noting Microsoft's own growth and saying that the overall market is expanding as consumers understand all of the things PCs can do as part of the digital life.
"We're excited and our partners are excited about the opportunity for Windows Vista coming up this holiday," Charney said.
While Apple has gained on Windows over the past year, Bhavnani said the company may find further gains tougher to come by unless it offers a major redesign of its products or comes up with a lower-priced laptop.
But Microsoft may also run into challenges from growing economic uncertainty. Earlier in the year, Bhavnani said he had a more bullish forecast for holiday PC sales.
"Concern about a recession probably weighs on the hearts and minds of some of the consumers," he said. "It's going to be a very good holiday, for notebooks especially. But it's not going to be a great holiday season."
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Steve Ballmer, small business, Microsoft Windows Vista, PC company, CEO
109 comments
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As if I'd bother reading that!
Yeah....I'm bored.
"We have a lot of consumer interest and enthusiasm around it," CEO Steve Ballmer said in an interview with CNET News.com last week."
and
Ballmer said that while there may be a few PCs still on the market that have XP, it's Vista that consumers are buying.
and
"Yes, there's one or two models you can find someplace in the world of PCs that don't run Windows Vista," Ballmer said. "But the machines that sell all run Windows Vista."
What major event occurred in the last quarter?
Back to school sales of computers.
Balmer says it all, the consumer has no choice when buying retail BUT to buy Vista.
ESPECIALLY AT BEST BUY.
One of our Analysts was working on a laptop from HP that came preloaded with Vista, they had no choice. His task was to reload it with Windows XP which the user wanted to start with. He came to me and I suggested that before he reloads it to ensure that HP is supporting all of the drivers for XP on their website or just call them and get an XP recovery disk because it would be the simplest and most supported means,
as was linked in this article: <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.news.com/The-XP-alternative-for-Vista-PCs/2100-1016_3-6209481.html" target="_newWindow">http://www.news.com/The-XP-alternative-for-Vista-PCs/2100-1016_3-6209481.html</a>
He called HP and they want $200 for the XP recovery disk for the laptop.
Gee do you think MS may be paying HP off to discourage this behaviour, I do.
I am a Windows user and have been since Windows was just a shell over DOS and you had to load a third party IP stack to get it IP enabled but Vista is just plain "BLOATWARE". Given enough time and resources ANYBODY can write an OS, ANYBODY. Microsoft had over 5 years to get Vista out with many thousands of people working on it and this is the best they can do?
Vista is not a leap ahead of Windows XP, it's barely a step but it requires 4 times the resources and does not deliver 4 times the user experience.
Microsoft's attempt at Vista has failed miserably. I am not just an end-user but an IT Analyst that knows the "guts" of these products and has to support them throughout the enterprise.
I no longer recommend Windows to any of my consults if they have to get Vista unless they really want to try it. Rather I am suggesting Ubuntu and SUSE Linux (I never in the worl thought I would do this), or an Apple Mac of the Intel variety (not that there is any other choice now but I do not suggest buying legacy "Gx" systems) Apple had just had a great quarter too and not just because of their iPhone and iPods but sold more Macs in any quarter in years. This is not just the "halo" effect but rather people tired of Microsoft's inefficient and bloated product that is still not compatible with a good amount of both software and hardware.
And don't blame the hardware vendors as microsoft was making them follow a moving target toward the critical RC time period when API's and Kernal security changes were preventing Hardware manufacturers from nailing down their drivers.
In summary: Sure Microsoft had a smashing Quarter as the retailers are no longer giving the consumers a choice but to buy Vista.
How many retailers Microsoft is putting out of business becase they can't sell the hardware? Microsoft is betting that that in comming months a lot of suckers will be buying PC's for christmas for there kiddies to help em do better in school. They snagged a lot of suckers in August and September with the back to school sales that have been going on.
You are not making any sense for an IT analyst .with MAC OS and various Linux distributions , and Unix variations, we already have enough OS out there. it's obvious that business community has spoken and chose XP and Vista because it's backward compatible with what they already have. Don't try to re-invent the wheel .
If you don't like Vista , switch to another OS or let the industry determine if they can afford to create a new OS . we don't need another OS.
windows Vista and XP will be fine , and continue to thrive .
Mainly, what distro of Linux to switch to.
I have always said that Apple is much worse than Microsoft when it comes predatory practices. Up until recently you could install hardware/software that Apple approved, third party apps were not allowed. It reminds me what the Ford motor company said early on about thier cars "You can have any color you want, so long as it's black". You're saying that Vista is nothing but bloatware? So is Leopard.
None of the rest has expressed any interest in Vista except for asking me "Do you know anybody who is switching?" I say "No", and they say "Thanks, good thing Dell still installs XP".
Thanks,
Macs are weak.
Linux is a loser.
You will succomb to our mighty force.
We will rule the world.
You cannot win, so join the CROWD
Linux on the desktop is growing more intuitive and user friendly everyday.
The new iMacs are KILLER!
Just to let everyone know I am not a 'nix or mac boy. I have been running and administering Windows for many many years.
The OS is not optional 95% of the time. So of course is will find its way. You mention it like people actually look for vista pc. I am still waiting for a good excuse to install vista.
Vista is going to introduce more users to Linux and the Mac. I haven't found too many Windows admins/freaks that like it at all so when we are asked for advice (which we all know we are) what are we going to recommend?
NOT VISTA!
There is no real demand for that piece of hog. The increase in sales is not because of demand for Vista as most of you have stated. It is because of the sales of new PC's that has been bundled with Vista only.
You can specifically ask for other replacement lower version OS on your new PC, and it is going to cost you more.
The company made a Billion more than everone thought they would and they still can't figure out how to get Media Center to work on my laptop.
MicroSoft. Free Tip. At this point I think Removing completely Mecia Center then after the last trace is gone, restoring it, then setting a system restore point before going through the inital set up would do the trick. Then I can set it up, crash, restore, set it up, crash, restore and repeat until it works.
from where I sit, it just works
now if you are having issues with a new pc and vista, the number one issue that I think people have is crapware, being loaded by the ton onto new pc's and ruining Vista experience (Microsoft please slam oem's for this)
run windows firewall and Eset NOD32 and you will have a non nagging pretty much rock solid security solution
Virtual Impotent Shortsighted Thinking Anencephalic
RIBBON
Real Idiocy By Bungling Obnoxious Nitwits
(Ribbon has to be designers leftovers from the Ford Edsel Team--certainly not by writers that used a computer for work)
or Windows, consumers would BEGIN to REALIZE that there is
actually more than one OS available on a store bought PC! They
don't even know.
As for Apple's OSes from a RETAIL outlet other than the Apple
Stores, that can't happen because the Mac's stability and ease-
of-use is largely due to the engineering integration between the
Apple hardware and it's software and so Apple's OSes can't be
loaded on a generic PC from Dell, HP, Sony, e_Machines, etc.
Microsoft is making money where they shouldn't. I know I can (in some rare cases as an end-user) purchase a system with FreeDOS or Ubuntu but try and find them at retailers, you won't. MS in conspiracy with major system manufacturers (can you say RICO act?) are depriving end-users choice.
The consumer should be able to walk into Best Buy and purchase the system of their choice and then be able to choose a self booting Installation disk of the OS of their choice designed for that system with all drivers and supplemental third party software (not crapware).
Does that sound unreasonable? Choices could range from SUSE Linux for Desktops (SLED), Ubuntu linux, and all of the 'nix distros would come with OpenOffice so the user would be set to start using the machine after the simple install.
They should also be able to choose Windows XP or Vista with all drivers and supplemental third party utilities (again, not crapware).
That is practical now and anybody that knows how to insert a cd or DVD into a drive would be able to do this. If they were uneasy about it then the store could offer their "Geek Squad" or what ever they call their support to install it at a cost and everybody makes out OK.
But to say that MS is really having a successful uptake of Vista by the measure of "no choice" reatil systems is a falicy.
If they don't do that then the FTC should step in and make them do it.
There is no news here in Europe in the coporate World of signigicant moves to Vista. Most companies think it is just a cash genreator not a really new technologywould. Most companies do not see why they should make huge espenditures which do not result in any imporvement in their own bottom line. We like MS to continue to improve XP and soft pedal the rush into Vista which, like Mr Bushes invasion of Iraq, is something that has been done with much sound and fury but has no useful outcome that anyone here can see yet..
Surf more, watch less TV.
Not to mention UAC and the REAL Administrator account. I don't like being prompted to run something in Elevated privileges I just want it to run. If I am logged on as an administrator then it shouldn;t give me any problem, Vista does.
The problem with business machines is that they are usually low cost, low spec, low graphic clones that could run XP fine. Vista however, to be used to it's full potential requires a much more powerful beast. Once prices for this extra power reduces, ie in about 6 months, then business machines will then be a viable option. I have Vista Ultimate and would not even consider going back to XP. Vista is way way better but then I have a powerful machine to run it on.
Its call BLACKMAIL!
Buy our lastest OS or else.
Buried in Microsoft's "happy talk" was an interesting admission that, for the last several months, the "run rate" of new Vista sales has dropped substantially from the previous month's number. In effect,the longer Vista is out, the less people are buying it - not a good sign. And, as a consultant who has been doing this for better than two decades, I can tell you that in my installed base, there is NO upgrade business for Vista and out right hostility to buying the OS on a new machine.
Microsoft's sales figures for Vista bear closer examination than they are getting. I would like to see the VENDOR's sales numbers - and their support call numbers for end-user downgrades. Those should give a far more realistic picture of Vista's real market share.
Remember, Ford claimed the Edsel was the best-selling new car model in its history because so many units went to dealers - where they sat until they were scrapped.
"Hey Bob, I know you don't need this many copies right now and the price of these will inevitably drop at some point but we are going to need you to buy 20 Million copies and hold on to them for a while. I know it will hurt your bottom line, but it will really help ours! Oh you don't have room in a warehouse? Your just going to have to build a new one to hold our excess inventory. Thanks"
Just plain dumb!
The consumers here are by definition interested enough in computers to want to learn something about them. Joe Average just doesn't care about all this "mumbo jumbo". He will go into his big box store and sees the majority of software is for Vista and most all the machines available run Vista. The salesman will tell him that the computer he's looking at has the latest and greatest system and he will buy a Vista PC. Those of you old enough, can you say Betamax?
Essentially I've decided to keep one Windows PC for compatibility and games and the rest are going Linux.
Apple is great, Microsoft is great (sorry if Vista keeps you up at night -- i've had it for months and had not a single issue with it, at all). Perhaps stop wondering why your 14 year old scanner doesn't work and buy a new one.
In the O/S work, sales are numbers, as are users, and as it stands Windows is going to trump all if they like it or not, until Apple gets a bigger foothold.
I like OS X, but i'm not going to post perfect 10s for an OS where the backup system consists of flying through space, or something else along those lines.
All in all, choose what you will, don't whine about what you're probably using as you posted your comment, it doesn't make sense, really.
Why will have to put this bloated excuse of an OS out there? Because the way Microsoft has been keeping their timelines (that's a joke) the support for XP will be over before they release their next OS which from what I hear WILL be a decent OS.
Face it, MS also released Windows ME and a lot of people got stuck with it. MS knew after the fact that they had made a mistake. Vista is another Windows ME.
Until this is corrected, I'll stick with XP.
Ballmer is trying to pull a Steve Jobs and make a product sound like it will solve world hunger when it is still in beta.
And mostly the higher end versions too.