30 November 2006
Microsoft's Optimistic Expected Vista Sales
The CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, has said that he expects companies to upgrade to Vista faster than they had with XP. He does leave out any facts or hints as to what he is possibly expecting and it sounds more like marketing bluff because of the way it was said.
Businesses are usually the most cautious when upgrading to new operating systems. This usually has to do with the amount of time and money that has to be invested. Also when companies have something that works, they are very unlikely to switch to something else unless they know without a doubt that it will work better than what they already have. One disadvantage Vista has for companies is the high hardware requirements, which translate to higher costs. Most computers inside businesses will not run Vista.
Businesses will begin using Vista most likely as they upgrade hardware. It makes sense with the hardware requirements to not worry about the new version until you have to install new hardware anyway. There's no point in throwing out a perfectly good system just because the hardware won't work with the new OS. It adds unnecessary costs for companies. Also related to this issue is the probability of needing to rewrite software. More costs, just for one operating system.
The only way business would jump on Vista quickly is if it could be proven that the high costs of implementing it could be offset by the productivity that the business will gain. With the average cost of a low level Vista compatable computer being about $1000 and the cost of Vista close to $500 if we are not talking about an upgrade, that amounts to about $1500 per computer, most companies are going to exercise extreme caution when upgrading.
Businesses are usually the most cautious when upgrading to new operating systems. This usually has to do with the amount of time and money that has to be invested. Also when companies have something that works, they are very unlikely to switch to something else unless they know without a doubt that it will work better than what they already have. One disadvantage Vista has for companies is the high hardware requirements, which translate to higher costs. Most computers inside businesses will not run Vista.
Businesses will begin using Vista most likely as they upgrade hardware. It makes sense with the hardware requirements to not worry about the new version until you have to install new hardware anyway. There's no point in throwing out a perfectly good system just because the hardware won't work with the new OS. It adds unnecessary costs for companies. Also related to this issue is the probability of needing to rewrite software. More costs, just for one operating system.
The only way business would jump on Vista quickly is if it could be proven that the high costs of implementing it could be offset by the productivity that the business will gain. With the average cost of a low level Vista compatable computer being about $1000 and the cost of Vista close to $500 if we are not talking about an upgrade, that amounts to about $1500 per computer, most companies are going to exercise extreme caution when upgrading.
