Vista won't boost PC sales

Windows Vista -- Microsoft's latest operating system release and primary rival to Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard which is due to ship this spring -- is unlikely to trigger any kind of boom in PC sales in the period immediately following its release, according to a number of Taiwanese computer and mainboard builders speaking with DigiTimes. Sources from the electronics companies tell the IT publication that neither Vista Home Basic nor Home Premium will create a surge in sales in the aftermath of the January 30th operating system launch, and are unlikely to have any impact at all until the second half of 2007, when sales typically ramp up for the holidays. Electronista notes that the sources' seemingly cold prediction is based in part on the tepid response to Vista among business users.

None of the component makers registered a significant change in their sales after the new Windows version became available to companies in November, while ongoing performance and price wars between AMD and Intel have also led many potential buyers to hesitate. The claim is bolstered by IDC sales numbers, which showed virtually flat US sales in spite of a Microsoft coupon plan that offered free or greatly discounted upgrades to Vista after PC makers complained that the delayed Vista launch would hurt their holiday 2006 sales.

by MacNN Staff