[TheBattman]

The average person (and some 70%+ of computer users) doesn't need the "latest and greatest" hardware or OS. Yet the marketing will convince lots of folks they need Vista - and then the new hardware it takes to run it. MS will actually fix it's sales numbers by the many retail copies they will sell, then when those folks cannot use Vista on their old hardware, will then get to count the additional license that will be OEM with their new hardware... kind of a way to double dip the sales figures/installed figures. It's a fraud.

And as an off the trail fact...many of the people who buy a new machine (but in reality have no need for the latest hardware) are convinced that it was a good purchase because they do notice an increase in performance, when in reality - it is because their old machine had grown so slow because of spyware/virii/bloat/full HD/etc. Regular maintenance and security isn't followed by a scary percentage of users.

[Terpfen]

Yet the marketing will convince lots of folks they need Vista - and then the new hardware it takes to run it.

Which they will acquire via the purchase of a new computer with Vista loaded on, thus solving the upgrade dilemma.

Regular maintenance and security isn't followed by a scary percentage of users.

Microsoft really should require OEMs to ship their Windows installations with the Task Scheduler set to run the preloaded anti-virus software and Windows Defender once a week (with updates downloaded and installed before those programs begin scanning, of course), and the built-in defragger once a month. But of course, they don't, which leads to zombie PCs and unhappy users. It's amazing how this company can screw up so badly and yet still make billions of dollars.

[FreedomGuru]

The average person (and some 70%+ of computer users) doesn't need the "latest and greatest" hardware or OS. Yet the marketing will convince lots of folks they need Vista - and then the new hardware it takes to run it.

I must've picked up some Malware and I have been hijacked to DU or someother Socialist site.:-)
Who determines what 70% of computer users want or need? You, the government, who? I'm sorry that you are so susceptible to advertising. We still have some freedoms here, to buy something we don't need. :-)