“Microsoft Corp. did a great job getting out the word about Windows Vista, a Harris Poll published yesterday said. But the marketing blitz hasn’t generated big sales,” Gregg Keizer reports for Computerworld.
Keizer reports, “According to an online survey conducted by Harris Interactive, 87% of the 2,200 American adults polled said they were aware of Vista. The overwhelming majority of those people admitted to knowing ‘a little’ about the new OS.”
“But apparently knowing does not mean buying. In December 2006, 20% of respondents said they were planning to upgrade to Vista; by mid-March, six weeks after Vista’s retail rollout, 12% said they would migrate in the next 12 months,” Keizer reports.
“As of March 6-14, when Harris conducted the poll, Vista accounted for just 3% of the operating systems installed on the respondents’ primary home computers, the same percentage as the often-reviled Windows Me. Leading the pack by a huge margin was Windows XP, with 79%; Apple Inc.’s Mac OS X, meanwhile, accounted for 5%, the same as Microsoft’s Windows 98,” Keizer reports.
Full article here.
Related articles:
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Network World: Need a new PC for Vista? Switching to Mac may cost less and give you more – March 16, 2007
BusinessWeek: Microsoft’s Windows Vista is ‘slow and dangerous’ – March 15, 2007
Analyst: Microsoft’s Windows Vista is very good for Apple Mac – March 13, 2007
Windows sufferer spends six hours trying to ‘upgrade’ to Vista, says: ‘I should’ve bought a Mac’ – February 07, 2007
Windows Vista woes push BBC News editor to regret never having ‘defected’ to Apple Mac – February 06, 2007
Digit: Don’t buy Vista; Microsoft may be driving millions to stick with XP or move to Apple Mac – February 05, 2007
TIME Magazine: Microsoft’s Windows Vista ‘an embarassment to the good name of American innovation’ – February 02, 2007
Microsoft’s Windows Vista: Five years for a chrome-plated turd – January 30, 2007
Digit: ‘Microsoft’s Windows Vista may be the best reason yet to buy an Apple Mac’ – January 29, 2007
Pioneer Press: Windows Vista shows ‘Apple is an innovation engine; Microsoft, not so much’ – January 29, 2007
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Analyst: Microsoft’s Windows Vista could be an opportunity for Apple – January 26, 2007
CNET Reviews Windows Vista: Is that all? Clunky and not very intuitive vs. Mac OS X; warmed-over XP – January 24, 2007
Mossberg: Microsoft’s Windows Vista offers lesser imitations of Apple’s Mac OS X features – January 18, 2007
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NY Times’ Pogue reviews Microsoft’s Windows Vista: ‘Looks, Locks, Lacks’ – December 14, 2006
Microsoft’s Windows Vista is basically Microsoft’s version of Mac OS 9.3 – October 11, 2006
Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard is 64-bit done right, unlike Microsoft’s Windows Vista kludge – August 14, 2006
Microsoft Windows Vista: If you can’t innovate… try to impersonate Apple’s Mac OS X – August 10, 2006
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Harris Poll: 12% of respondents said they would jump off a cliff if given the chance.
…and Microsoft said they sold 20 million copies of this atrocity. Someone should ask them to provide some proof. More likely its all bluster trying to jump start sales of this turd. MDN should start adding a picture of Vista along with the Zune in the toilet bowl.
Microsoft is sucker punched by its own “just good enough” strategy as people stay with XP because it’s already – just good enough.
87% of people who know of Vista and have to get it decided they will wait until it comes pre-installed on a new cheap PC.
The remaining 13% are switching to Mac OS X.
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@ Guessing: “…and Microsoft said they sold 20 million copies of this atrocity. Someone should ask them to provide some proof.”
From the article:
“Although Microsoft has touted sales of 20 million copies of Vista, analysts have pointed out that the company counts those that have been shipped to retailers but not sold, or sold to OEMs but not installed on PCs or installed on PCs still in inventory.”
So much for Microsofts claims of better than twice the sales of XP.
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I didn’t think so judging by empty Vista aisles at Comp USA and Best Buy. I saw cob webs growing on the displays with Microsofts FUD playing and nobody around to watch it.
@Guessing –
I think that’s part of it and M$ is counting what they created/issued in Licenses but not what was actually purchased.
I believe M$ is hoping that if they pump and talk-up the 20 million units sold – people and the Stock Market will think it’s going well and the consumer will purchase.
The only thing M$ has going for Vista is that all the Big Box manufacturers can only sell Vista as opposed to the past where they still had a choice of ME, XP, 98, etc.
Hopefully, the public will become aware that Vista is junk and will refuse to purchase.
If the public gives in there won’t be any repercussions to Dell, HP, etc.
MY 2 cents.
People who need a new machine, but don’t want to be hobbled by Vista, can buy their new DOSBox, wipe the drive and install the copy of XP they already have. The old box can go to the landfill where it belongs. I’d put the new one there, too.
WHY anyone would stick with a Windows-Only box is beyond me.
“The overwhelming majority of those people admitted to knowing ‘a little’ about the new OS.”
Wow! (LOL) It sounds like these folk are ‘admitting’ to a crime!
> The overwhelming majority of those people admitted to knowing ‘a little’ about the new OS.
It is obvious that the more they “know” the less they want to buy. In three months, it went from 20% planning to upgrade to 12%.
One good solution is to stay with XP, if you have to use Windows, but make it look like OS X. Here’s how:
http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/04/04/making.xp.resemble.os.x/
“Although Microsoft has touted sales of 20 million copies of Vista, analysts have pointed out that the company counts those that have been shipped to retailers but not sold, or sold to OEMs but not installed on PCs or installed on PCs still in inventory.”
I thought tallying “sales” like this was illegal. Certain automakers used to count unsold vehicles rusting on dealer lots as sales too, hence the practice now being out of favor.
If MS can rank market share like this, imagine what Apple could do if they stuffed the back rooms of all their Apple Stores with Mac OS installs…
A follow-up survey also found those 3% who upgraded to Vista are getting ready to sue Microsoft for damages related to pain and suffering (shame also).
On another survey, about 8% of worldwide computer users reported happier lifestyle, more productive work output, and improved technology experience—-they are called Mac users.
but Bill Gates said Vista has been incredibly well received.
Bill would never exagerate, would he?
News flash, 87% of american adults are morons.
They think all computers magically come with windows preinstalled, what other choice is there???
dipshits
Not only the above, but many of those MS Vista vouchers that count towards the ‘sold’ total are languishing somewhere in the ether. Maybe they’ll all disappear on to a black hole in favor of Ubuntu.
Many voucher-waving Microsoft customers in Europe are still awaiting their promised free Windows Vista upgrades from the software giant’s “fulfillment partner”, ModusLink.
As we reported in February, customers were persuaded to part with their hard-earned cash to buy XP-based computers ahead of the long-awaited release of Vista on 30 January 2007, on the premise that they would be given an “Express Upgrade”.
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2007/04/05/microsoft_moduslink_vista/
Of course those poor suckers that actually want the Vista ‘upgrade’ are sadly misinformed, maybe they could get a full refund, after XP is now officially expired, isn’t it?
No amount of digital garnish or grandiose presentation can improve a sh*t sandwich.
That’s an amazing statistic. An intelligent person knows that a confidence interval is a better statistic that a simple probability statement, so based on that realization, I am persuaded that you include yourself in the majority.
No, he meant you.
“”Although Microsoft has touted sales of 20 million copies of Vista, analysts have pointed out that the company counts those that have been shipped to retailers but not sold, or sold to OEMs but not installed on PCs or installed on PCs still in inventory.”
If they’ve shipped it and got money for it, it’s a sale. There’s nothing illegal or immoral there. If WidgetCo sells Widgets to RetailMart WidgetCo is entitled to account for them as a sale even if RetailMart takes some time to sell them. The only complication comes if RetailMart has an agreement to be able to return unsold units after some time period. What you are probably wanting to measure is sell through, a different concept.
“imagine what Apple could do if they stuffed the back rooms of all their Apple Stores with Mac OS installs…”
Nothing, unless it set the stores up to be owned by a separate company and sold to that company.
In all reality, Microsoft will sell few boxed upgrades compared to new OEM installs. Who wants to pay $150 for an upgrade when you can get a whole new PC with it installed for $300?
>From the article: But apparently knowing does not mean buying.
That’s the same for other operating systems. Heck, at my office we still run 10.3.9 on a bunch of our machines. The new things in 10.4 are great, but not must-have items.
I imagine I’d feel the same about 10.5 although I hope there are some great must-have items it. Maybe if a couple of the apps I use require 10.5 or gain some sort of speed/feature increase then I’ll scoop a copy up ASAP.
It is obvious that tt has only an elementary understanding of statistics, which certainly places him in the perponderance of the uneducated and the ignorant. His childish assertion which is not a factual reality confirms the fact that tt is not capable of analytical reasoning. I suppose that if you defend tt that you are also like him. Compared to me that would make both of you the majority. Congratulations for proving my point and tt’s point, as well.
tt pulled that 87% out of that place that the sun don’t shine. We all know that.
It wouldn’t surprise me, however, if the actual number was well over 80%, if a real survey was taken that asked,”What OS comes pre-installed on a computer?”
If tt gets his best thoughts from the recesses of his rectum, he should avoid blogging after his daily bowel evacuation of his brains.
@ neomonkey
I tried skinning out XP to look like OS X. The problem is, changing the look of XP doesn’t change the way it functions.