Vista's 100m sales mark said to hide disappointing results

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Although Microsoft's opening keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show outed record-setting Windows Vista sales figures, supplemental information suggests the software's debut may have been underwhelming in a larger context.



While outgoing company chief Bill Gates' announcement of Vista sales surpassing the 100 million benchmark was accurate, it doesn't tell the whole story, Electronista says in its analysis of the figures.



Citing Gartner Dataquest information, the report reveals that worldwide PC sales should tally up to about 255.7 million computers over the 12-month period, leaving Vista at just 39 percent of all new sales.



And as Windows XP was Microsoft's primary operating system until Vista's late January 2007 debut, the information suggests that the older OS has sold more copies over the course of the past year than its newer, more heavily promoted replacement -- by a margin of 50 percent or more, the article notes.



The CES update also provides an opportunity to dissect the Windows creator's sales numbers. Microsoft was initially quick to report that its Vista sales rate more than doubled XP's, selling about 20 million copies in one month. In the following months, however, initial enthusiasm for the OS has reportedly petered out, slowing down over the year to where only 12 million units of the Windows update were sold in the fall 2007 quarter.



Microsoft's sales figure, while the best ever for a Windows release, also belies the change in market conditions. While Vista's 100 million mark bests Windows XP's 89 million, the PC market has doubled in size since the earlier version's October 2001 launch, indicating that Vista accounts for a considerably smaller portion of the market than XP did in the past.



The discrepancy is chalked up primarily to a lack of enthusiasm about the OS. Some PC vendors, most notably Dell, brought XP back as an option after customers complained about having to buy new systems with Vista pre-installed.



Apple has taken advantage of this reaction in its Get a Mac ads, claiming that users are "giving up" on Vista in favor of XP.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 35
    zunxzunx Posts: 620member
    How Microsoft with all the dollar power can do such crap, again and again, amazes me. The day people know about Mac OS X, Windows will be history. The same for Safari vs Internet Explorer and QuickTime vs Windows Media Player. Inertia and only that is maintaining Microsoft.
  • Reply 2 of 35
    We have to remember Leopard is going to be better, as it is tailored round specific hardware, and Vista must suit the needs to a huge combination of non specific configurations of PC.



    However, Apple have the last laugh as they are brough out their refined Bootcamp, which means, people can have a high quality machine, with a choice of Operating system (Vista/XP running natively).



    Apple can't loose really.
  • Reply 3 of 35
    mrpiddlymrpiddly Posts: 406member
    I use vista, but only for DX10. If DX10 were on xp, i would switch in an instant.
  • Reply 4 of 35
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by zunx View Post


    How Microsoft with all the dollar power can do such crap, again and again, amazes me. Inertia and only that is maintaining Microsoft.



    My sentiments exactly, long gone are the days that Microsoft could enjoy its monopoly undisturbed. Maybe Mr Gates is very wisely abandoning a sinking ship. If they can't come up with something truly innovative their market share will very quickly evaporate.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by GavinScrimgeour View Post


    Apple can't loose really.



    Numbers for new Linux and Mac OS X users are definitely going to be on the rise in the next months (maybe even years). Apple needs to continue innovating and improving its OS though, expectations are getting higher
  • Reply 5 of 35
    I am amongst a handful of Mac faithfuls in my organization. Two items of note: (1) More than a few colleagues have switched to a Mac in the past six months -- for their work; (2) The PC part of the organization -- which dominates -- has not switched to Vista yet. And, I have not seen any announced plans for the switch.
  • Reply 6 of 35
    Not to say anything in favor of Vista or any other MS product, BUT MY copy of Leopard is still sitting on the shelf, uninstalled. Among other apps, SuperDuper! isn't Leo-compatible, and some of my other apps would require expensive upgrades to run under Leo. Since I'm retired and don't "need" most of my apps for very much, I just may stay with Tiger for a long time. I don't think that the Tiger > Leopard move was done well at all -- perhaps just as poorly as the XP > Vista move.
  • Reply 7 of 35
    eckingecking Posts: 1,588member
    As much as I hate windows I gotta admit with time vista will become usable. Believe you me, it'll get there.
  • Reply 8 of 35
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Vista's sales... disappointing? Steve Jobs would eat his own babies to have sales numbers like Microsoft.
  • Reply 9 of 35
    guinnessguinness Posts: 473member
    Apple makes a great OS, but uses overpriced/weak hardware - that's their problem, and why they can't just increase their market share by more than a few points. It's



    Leopard and Vista are both pretty good IMO, but there's nothing absolutely better about them, over Tiger and XP. Some largely useless eyecandy, a few system tweaks here and there, and mostly under the hood changes. And Apple doesn't have much room to talk, as what, they're on the verge of their second point update since Leopard's launch? Being punctual to fix bugs is one thing, but it just tells me, it was rushed.



    After the Leopard launch, "It just works!" became the funny saying around work, and we use Windows XP/Vista and OSX. My own personal experience with upgrading to Leopard was poor.



    The only reason Vista gets flak, is that it took 5 years (total) to deliver the end product, which really should have been a 2 years after XP sort of thing, and it requires a min. of 1 GB RAM. However, it wasn't until Service Pack 2 that XP became really, really sound.



    But MS did right with Office 2007.
  • Reply 10 of 35
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    Vista's sales... disappointing? Steve Jobs would eat his own babies to have sales numbers like Microsoft.



    Sure, but it marks a loosening grip that the Redmond Empire has. Microsoft's biggest competition is their own product, their 1 yr. old OS is still getting beaten by their 6 yr. old OS. If you're an MS shareholder, that would be disappointing, especially given how much money was spent to make Vista.
  • Reply 11 of 35
    mimicmimic Posts: 72member
    and i'm glad!



    Apple will never dominate the market until they open their OS to be install on any PC and i hope they DON'T!



    I LOVE the closed system and i'm willing to pay more for it. I like the fact that even though some of Leopard was buggy, it is still far and away better then anything else. Sure, we expect more, but i'm glad we can rather then to be forced to just except.



    NO, there were no big killer, must have apps in Leopard, but i like the small ones and i think the under the hood changes were made for future Touch, FDD, and other tech that will roll out this year.



    Do i pay more for my Mac? Sure, but i get soooooooo much more in return.



    My .02
  • Reply 12 of 35
    boogabooga Posts: 1,082member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post


    I am amongst a handful of Mac faithfuls in my organization. Two items of note: (1) More than a few colleagues have switched to a Mac in the past six months -- for their work; (2) The PC part of the organization -- which dominates -- has not switched to Vista yet. And, I have not seen any announced plans for the switch.



    I work for a 10,000+ person defense contractor. Until some folks from my group started buying Macs, I don't think there was a single one in the company. However, our group develops almost 100% Java software, so now I think a lot of them are looking at how to get back to Windows. Life is much better in Windows for Java developers, alas.



    I still wouldn't recommend anything but MacOS as a home machine, but MacOS seems to be getting further from, not closer to, what many enterprise folks need.
  • Reply 13 of 35
    kolchakkolchak Posts: 1,398member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by guinness View Post


    Apple makes a great OS, but uses overpriced/weak hardware - that's their problem, and why they can't just increase their market share by more than a few points. It's



    Uh, okay. That must be why PC World wrote that the Macbook Pro managed to be the fastest laptop they tested Vista on late last year. "Weak hardware." It's amazing that there are still people out there still spouting the "Macs cost more" myth. It's been debunked so many times by so many sources, but I guess some people will hold on dearly to their beliefs.
  • Reply 14 of 35
    rot'napplerot'napple Posts: 1,839member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Kolchak View Post


    Uh, okay. That must be why PC World wrote that the Macbook Pro managed to be the fastest laptop they tested Vista on late last year. "Weak hardware." It's amazing that there are still people out there still spouting the "Macs cost more" myth. It's been debunked so many times by so many sources, but I guess some people will hold on dearly to their beliefs.



    Not to mention how those on the PC manufacturing side, seem to "copy" Apple's style when it becomes a hit.



    Like the first "egg shape" iMac in colors. PC makers started adding colors. One PC manufacturer went as far as to produce a product that was a blatant rip on the iMac - "Apple today filed a complaint against eMachines, Inc. for illegally copying the industrial design of Apple's award-winning iMac computer."



    Now Dell is coming out with their all in one reiteration of the 2007/2008 iMac, "If it didn?t have the Dell logo on it, the XPS One might be mistaken for a product of the PC industry?s design leaders, Apple..."



    Funny, isn't it?
  • Reply 15 of 35
    eriamjheriamjh Posts: 1,630member
    Try buying Tiger now that Leopard is out? Not from Apple!



    Vista is floundering because it is unnecessary for most apps. Is there anything that actually requires Vista? I think my company moved to XP in 2003 or 2004.
  • Reply 16 of 35
    seafoxseafox Posts: 90member
    It's okay Microsoft. All you customers are disappointed in Vista, too.
  • Reply 17 of 35
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rot'nApple View Post


    Now Dell is coming out with their all in one reiteration of the 2007/2008 iMac, "If it didn?t have the Dell logo on it, the XPS One might be mistaken for a product of the PC industry?s design leaders, Apple..."







    sorry.... but not a chance. I always find it odd when people say Sony produces great industrial design.....it's crap. I can't think on any CE or computer product that remotely approaches Apple's industrial design capabilities, or for that matter any other design ability they have.



    In fact there are virtually no other products in the work that share Apple's approach to design. Lego as a product approaches but is certainly not on the same level.



    Any Dell will always have a Dellness (dullness?) about it, just as a particular brands of cars have certain traits.
  • Reply 18 of 35
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mrpiddly View Post


    I use vista, but only for DX10. If DX10 were on xp, i would switch in an instant.



    Do you find it worth the hassle though? I had so many in game crashes under Vista that I switched back to XP DX 9C anyway!
  • Reply 19 of 35
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Delfoniq View Post


    Apple needs to continue innovating and improving its OS though



    I agree. There are a lot of good ideas in Plan9 they could bring across. I'm sure there are other minor OSes they could pinch ideas from too.
  • Reply 20 of 35
    wingswings Posts: 261member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by OldMacGuy View Post


    Not to say anything in favor of Vista or any other MS product, BUT MY copy of Leopard is still sitting on the shelf, uninstalled. Among other apps, SuperDuper! isn't Leo-compatible, and some of my other apps would require expensive upgrades to run under Leo. Since I'm retired and don't "need" most of my apps for very much, I just may stay with Tiger for a long time. I don't think that the Tiger > Leopard move was done well at all -- perhaps just as poorly as the XP > Vista move.



    I used SuperDuper when I had Tiger. I liked it. It worked well and did its thing quietly in the background like a good lil boy.



    As soon as I switched to Leopard I started using that backup firewire drive as my Time Machine backup. It is SO much better than just doing a regular old backup that SD was doing. It's saved my a** once already - getting a month-old copy of a file I had deleted and HAD to get back.



    Try it. You'll like it.
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