The Computer Buzz

August 9th, 2007

Nome and Paul Van Middlesworth - owners - The Computer Factory
 

Are We Kicking a Dead Horse?

It seems that we are always writing about Microsoft's latest operating system "Vista" and the computer industry's conspiracy cramming it and its glaring deficiencies down our collective throats. That's because, the "Vista" scandal is the most important and interesting event in recent years for PC users.

All the major players in the industry wish that "Vista's" problems would quietly disappear. Since Microsoft forces large computer sellers to include "Vista" in all their new PCs, they are also forced to collaborate in a conspiracy of silence about Vista's problems hoping that somehow "Vista" will catch on and people will start buying PCs again. Unless you read the PC Industry trade journals you can't know what's really happening. That's why we keep hammering away at the façade of misinformation being generated by Microsoft and its cronies. It's our job to tell you the truth. Vista is a massive scam and it's starting to unravel.

Microsoft continues whistling in the dark proclaiming "Vista" to be a marketing success. Microsoft artificially boosts Vista sales figures by forcing their channel partners to buy "Vista" licenses even though they can't sell them. "Vista" channel inventories are huge. Meanwhile, much to the chagrin of everyone at Microsoft, Windows XP sales are running at least 50% above forecast.

Now a major PC maker has broken the industry "omerta", (the code of silence.) Gianfranco Lanci, president of ACER, the worlds fourth largest PC maker has spoken out on "Vista".

In an interview with Financial Times Deutschland last week Lanci said that the "Vista" operating system is riddled with problems and gives users and businesses no reason to buy new PC. "The whole industry is disappointed with Windows Vista" Lanci said. "Despite the long wait between XP and Vista the latest operating system still lacks maturity, stability is certainly a problem. Users are voting with their feet." Lanci said, "the Vista launch has had the smallest impact on PC sales of any version of Windows in the history of PC manufacturing." He added that the situation didn't look likely to change in the next six months.

Confirmation of increasing business user resistance to "Vista" comes in surveys published last week by TechWorld. In December 2006, 47% of businesses surveyed said they planned to adopt the new Vista OS. In last month’s survey only 2% of firms had actually switched to Vista and only 9% were still planning to do so. 87% said they were either staying with their existing Microsoft OS (XP or 2000) or moving to a non-Microsoft OS.

With the nearly universal rejection of "Vista" by businesses, gamers and other savvy PC users, Vista has become primarily the OS of choice for folks who simply don't know any better.

Increasingly, business and home users are coming to us for new PCs with the XP OS when they can't find them in the "big box" stores. They also wind up with higher quality, more reliable PCs and a lot better service.