Windows Vista, One Bad Year Later

Chosun Ilbo ^ | 01/11/08

[TigerLikesRooster]

Windows Vista, One Bad Year Later

A year since the release of Windows Vista, Microsoft is cringing at the poor sales of the new operating system. It was initially touted as a landmark new development to reinvigorate the IT industry, prompting expectations of wide-ranging “Vista effects.” Instead, Apple’s new operating system, which now also works on PCs, is stealing the thunder. Microsoft has hurriedly responded by developing a new version of the old XP.

◆ Windows Vista flops

According to market researcher Net Applications, Apple is enjoying the largest-ever share in the global operating system market with Leopard, the newest version. Since its release in December last year, Apple OS including Leopard have gained a market share of 7.31 percent, a record high. During the same period, Windows OS products including Vista saw a drop in their market share ? although their aggregate market share still stands at 91.79 percent. But Leopard is enjoying critical and consumer acclaim, which Vista has signally failed to win.

Major media outlets like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal have showered compliments on the Apple OS, which they say is easy and fast. Consumer opinions about Vista have not yielded to Microsoft’s efforts. Tech product reviewer CNET’s UK division picked Vista as one of top 10 “terrible technology products” for 2007.

◆ Microsoft in Agony

Vista cost US$6 billion and a workforce of 8,000 to develop before making its debut in January 2007. It shows a handful of good improvements, especially better security features. But the bundling of too many functions into the OS takes up a considerable portion of the computer memory and causes unexpected hitches like a slowdown in processing speed. The IT giant faced a stream of consumer requests to change the operating system of their computers back from Vista to XP. In Korea, Microsoft failed to win a single corporate customer.

Kim Hyun-jung, an analyst with Tongyang Investment and Securities, said the Vista effect did not happen, and memory chip makers are “suffering from their miscalculation.” Memory producers aggressively increased investment in developing facilities in expectations of Vista effects, but they have yet to see a profit from the investment.

A Microsoft spokesman said XP was only in genuine demand one year after its release. His company, he said, has follow-up plans to boost sales of Vista like the release of a service pack in the first half of the year. But he declined to reveal exact sales figures of Vista in Korea. Despite Microsoft’s efforts, many IT insiders worry because there is insufficient supply of programs that run on Vista. One IT industry guru said the operating system market situation shows that “even the mythical Microsoft monopoly could break down if it fails to meet the demand of consumers.”

[DUMBGRUNT]

"and provides a Vista-like “experience”"

Sitting, waiting and watching a whirly twirl!

With 2 gig and a dual core... that has been my experience!

3.2 with 640k was a bit faster.

[MichiganMan]

Windows and Mac and Linux and Solaris mean nothing more than Ford and Chevy and Dodge and BMW. They're all running on the same roads to the same places, using the same fuel.

Astute analysis, and good analogy. I would only add "and the Linux car is free."

[bajabaja]

“I am not a “power user”. I only need a basic OS. It irrates the hell out of me that it can take several minutes from the time I turn on my computer before it is ready for me to start using it (and do get me started on the several minute shut down which requires me to stand around and wait since every so often a file will not close and I have to close it manually.)”

Take a look at some of the linux distributions. They are free and some are testable from a cd without disturbing your MS operating system. In the end you will save time and hair.

[RandallFlagg]

If more people did what you did, perhaps MS would get the hint.
Dell, Gateway, etc. are businesses in business to make money.

[ekwd]

Note the difference; every time M$ “upgrades,” programs fail, data is lost, and old machines become obsolete. Every time Mac OS upgrades, old aps still run and old machines run faster.

When Apple "innovated" to Intel chipsets, they required that their users buy "upgrades" to all of Apple's professional software except for iLife, Safari and Mail. See this from Apple.com:
http://www.apple.com/rosetta/

[MichiganMan]

and if you compare the Linux learning curve to Vista, it is probably less.

I imagine you're right. I have my 60 year old mother using Linux on her home system. She still needs advice here and there, but less I estimate than if she was sitting down to a new installation of Vista.

[John W]

You turn your computer off?

[COBOL2Java]

I got my wife a laptop for Christmas. I insisted that it be bundled with XP, not Vista. My Son-in-Law, who is very technically adept, opted for Vista on his laptop. He tells me he likes it, but I think he secretly wishes he’d gone with Apple OS or Linux. ;-)

[perfect stranger]

ping

[Allen In Texas Hill Country]

Bought a new Gateway laptop with Vista a few months ago. Out of the box I erased the drive and installed XP Pro. The only solution. I have a very good friend that, at the time I retired, went to work for Microsoft. Obviously quite a bit younger. We stay in touch but FAIAP MS products are off the discussion agenda. We want to stay friends.

[ReignOfError]

"Solidworks"?

I admit my ignorance. Is that a task, or a software package? If there is a job that needs to be done, and one program that does it on a PC and another that does it on a mac, that does not qualify as something a PC can do and a Mac can't.

"Engineer"?

Who is the the developer? What is the function? I can't begin to imagine how to search for something without a better lead than "Engineer."

"Autocad"?

Not my area of expertise, but from what I understand, there are CAD/CAM programs on Mac and Windows that exchange files seamlessly. I think Autocad is one of those, but I'm no expert.

My uncle is an architect. I've talked to him about various digital mtters, and he's never told me he had any problems with folks who use Macs. He's actually been curious about Macs.

"Benoit" fractal analysis?

Okay, you are so incredibly reaching. How often does Benoit fractal analysis factor into your daily life? Is this something that troubles you often? Well, let your heart be soothed, because there are Benoit fractal analysis applications for Mac OS. I do not even know what that means.

[ekwd]

I didn't upgrade my home computers from Windows 2000 to XP until SP2 came out. I suspect I'll do the same with Vista. Microsoft drag along a lot of old programs. There are still programs in common use that don't understand long file names. At some point you simply have to tell people to get some new software. At any rate, if you are dedicated to an elderly program, all you have to do is keep the old computer running.
I lost more hardware and less software upgrading from 98/ME to XP than I did upgrading from XP to Vista. I keep a dual boot on my old XP machine only because my prosumer DVD authoring software hasn't been updated and it doesn't look like Corel will be doing it.

[SomeCallMeTim]

Glowbull Warming: The Greatest Hoax Since Y 2 K

Uh.... you're going to have to go back a little farther than Y2K. Y2K was NOT a "hoax"... it was an event that would have been extremely serious if not for a great deal of effort on the part of a BUNCH of people.... myself included.

I spent two years finding and fixing problems... then, enjoyed champagne on New Years Day!

Maybe... the Greatest Hoax since... hmnn... well.. EVER!

[VanDeKoik]

“Worst tech product of the century.

Only because “Bob” was in the last century.

I take that back. Vista is worse than Bob. The latter was an option no one wanted. The former is an “upgrade” that no one wants but will be forced upon them.”

Oh stop it.

Yeah, I know that it has become somewhat of a sport to see who can one up the other to see who can post the most over the top statement about how much you “hate” Vista, but seriously it is wearing thin.

[ReignOfError]

"Free" only in the sense that you have to buy all the parts and build it yourself. TAANSTASAFL: There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.

[ReignOfError]

I admit, I have no experience with Vista. I experienced Bob. Could vista be worse?

[SomeCallMeTim]

Wait! I’ve got it!

Glow-bull warming is the Greatest Hoax since “Mohammed”!

That tagline ought to draw some response.

[longtermmemmory]

I would support pretend violence agaist that mac geek character. his character is very anoying.

No idea what they are selling, just a story about a nice geek vs a snobby geek.

[ReignOfError]

The old sw still ran. Just slowly.

[Auntie Mame]

I haven’t seen a release date for SP3 yet; has anyone?

Not an actual date, but I know someone who has SP3 (beta) and they say it really does make the computer much faster. The release date is supposed to be "soon." ; - )