Text 17514, 97 rader
Skriven 2007-04-28 07:39:56 av mike (1:379/45)
Ärende: Survey: 30% Of Businesses Have No Plans To Upgrade To Windows Vista
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From: mike <mike@barkto.com>


http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=199201492

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In the latest sign that Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system may be
destined for less than overwhelming commercial success, a new InformationWeek
survey has found that nearly one third of businesses do not plan on upgrading
their computers to the much-hyped software.

Tech professionals at the businesses surveyed were asked the following
question: "When, if ever, does your company plan to purchase and install
Windows Vista?"

One quarter of the 612 survey respondents said they were already using the new
OS; 13% said they would do so in the next 12 months, while 27% said their
companies would adopt Windows Vista more than one year from now.

But in what will surely be viewed as disappointing news at Microsoft
headquarters in Redmond, WA, a full 30% of those surveyed said they had no
plans to upgrade their systems to Windows Vista -- not ever.

"While security enhancements remain the primary reason for companies to adopt
Windows Vista, concerns about compatibility and cost are still out there,"
wrote survey author Lisa Smith, InformationWeek's managing editor for research.

Indeed, Windows Vista compatibility issues are causing numerous headaches for
Microsoft and its tech industry partners.

A number of major federal agencies, including NASA, the U.S. Department of
Transportation, and the Federal Aviation Administration, have all decided to
forego -- at least for now -- moving their desktop systems from Windows XP to
Windows Vista, in part because some of their current business applications
won't function properly on the OS.

Some prestigious universities, such as MIT and Stanford, have also shelved
Windows Vista upgrades until compatibility issues can be resolved.

Meanwhile, consumer demand for Windows XP -- Windows Vista's predecessor
-- recently forced computer maker Dell to reintroduce the older
Microsoft operating system as an option on its home systems.

Dell provided few details about the move, but many PC buyers have reported
serious compatibility issues between Windows Vista and their favorite
applications and hardware products.

One disgruntled tech enthusiast recently established a Web site with an eye to
garnering support for a class action suit against graphics card manufacturer
Nvidia. The consumer, Dan Goldman of New York City, charges that Nvidia's claim
that its products are Windows Vista compatible are false.

What's behind Vista's compatibility gap? Microsoft has acknowledged that
rewriting Windows XP applications for Windows Vista is a more difficult task
than what faced independent software developers when they had to port their
products to Windows XP from Windows 2000 and Windows ME in 2001.

The trouble is in part due to advanced Windows Vista security features like
BitLocker and the User Account Control -- designed to prevent users from
changing their desktop footprint without approval from an IT administrator.
Coding applications to work with those features can be tricky, Microsoft has
said.

Heavy system requirements may also be causing business and consumers to shy
away from Windows Vista, at least for now. To experience all of Vista's
features, PC users need a computer with at least a 1-GHz processor, 1 Gbyte of
memory, and a 40-Gbyte hard drive. That's far beyond what's required for
routine business computing tasks like word processing, running a spreadsheet,
or sending e-mails.

By contrast, Windows XP Professional requires only a 300-MHz processor, 128
Mbytes of RAM, and a 1.5-Gbyte disk.

Businesses may thus see little reason to buy expensive new computers just to
run Windows Vista, when their current systems are fully capable of getting the
job done.

Windows Vista held a 2.04% share of the operating system market as of the end
of March -- two months after the software was released for sale to the general
public. Windows XP held an 83.57% share as of March 30, according to Net
Applications.

Despite the ominous signs, Microsoft insists that Windows Vista is selling
well. It recently stated that it sold 20 million Windows Vista licenses in the
product's first month of availability, compared to 17 million Windows XP sales
in that OS's first two months on the market.

More insight into Windows Vista's early sales performance could be revealed
when Microsoft reports third quarter earnings on Thursday. The full version of
InformationWeek's Windows Vista survey is slated for release in early May.
===


  /m

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