Before the release of Windows Vista, expectations for the new operating system were high fueled by both promises of new features, higher security, and an improved user interface, as well as the five year period since the release of Windows XP from MicroSoft. As a result, many consumers and businesses planned on upgrading to Vista. However, after its release, it was met with harsh criticism, as reflected by its title from PC World as the biggest tech disappointment of 2007 and from InfoWorld as #2 of Tech's all-time 25 flops.The market share for Windows Vista, taking the median from various sources, was 9.03% as of February 2008.
Though MicroSoft sold 20 million copies of Vista which is double higher than XP installations in 2001, but critics says Vista is nowhere near XP and disappoints both consumer and business users. However, PC World reports that adoption of Windows Vista is going at a much slower rate compared to the adoption of Windows XP.
The market research firm’s data showed the number of copies of Vista purchased was nearly 59 percent less than the number for its predecessor XP, looking at the first week of sales. Revenue was also down, but less dramatically, with the dollar value of first-week Vista sales off 32 percent from that seen with XP
Though MicroSoft sold 20 million copies of Vista which is double higher than XP installations in 2001, but critics says Vista is nowhere near XP and disappoints both consumer and business users. However, PC World reports that adoption of Windows Vista is going at a much slower rate compared to the adoption of Windows XP.
The market research firm’s data showed the number of copies of Vista purchased was nearly 59 percent less than the number for its predecessor XP, looking at the first week of sales. Revenue was also down, but less dramatically, with the dollar value of first-week Vista sales off 32 percent from that seen with XP
Criticism targets include protracted development time, more restrictive licensing terms, the inclusion of a number of technologies aimed at restricting the copying of protected digital media, and the usability of the new User Account Control security technology. Reviewers have also noted some similarities between Vista's Aero interface and that of Apple's Aqua interface for the Mac OS X operating system. Moreover, some concerns have been raised about many PCs meeting "Vista Premium Ready" hardware requirements and Vista's pricing. When asked by Gizmodo at CES what Microsoft product could have used more polish before release, Microsoft founder Bill Gates replied, "Ask me after we ship the next version of Windows. Then I'll be more open to give you a blunt answer.
Windows Vista includes an array of "features" that you don't want. These features will make your computer less reliable and less secure. They'll make your computer less stable and run slower. They will cause technical support problems. They may even require you to upgrade some of your peripheral hardware and existing software. And these features won't do anything useful. In fact, they're working against you
According to InformationWeek, in December 2006, 6% of business enterprises were expected to employ Vista within the first year, yet as of October 2007, only about 1% of enterprise PCs were actually using Vista.Furthermore, while a large number of businesses have bought licenses to run Windows Vista, many of these companies are delaying deployment
Some organizations have denounced Vista due to its problems. For example, in October 2007, The Dutch Consumers' Association called for a boycott of Windows Vista after the software giant refused to offer free copies of Windows XP to users who had problems with Vista
InfoWorld is also conducting a "Save Windows XP" petition to prompt Microsoft to further extend XP's support and sales to prevent people using legacy hardware or who dislike Vista from being forced to use Microsoft's latest OS. Slashdot has compiled a list of organizations who have boycotted Windows Vista
In February 29, 2008, Microsoft announced that it will lower the price of the Vista operating system sold at retail outlets in order to aid in its adoption. These price cuts will only apply to the retail versions sold in shops which account for less than 10% of total Vista sales. Vista Ultimate, for example, will see its price drop from $399 to $319 (£161).
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