eXPerience for now, Vista for later

Microsoft is not riding a pink cloud when it comes to corporate integration of Vista. In the first place, because the Redmond Company is losing ground in front of Unix-based servers, and second, because the vast majority of companies prefer Windows XP. Experience comes first, it seems.

Sasfin Bank was one of the first companies that rushed into installing Windows Vista to be used in their corporation, but that’s just about it. They are planning to start the upgrade by March next year, and by the end of 2007 all 430 employees will be using the new operating system.

Gartner Inc predicted that less than 5% of the corporate computers, worldwide, will be using Windows Vista by the end of the year. That’s an incredible low figure compared to Microsoft’s expectations. 47% (almost half of the corporations out there!) will stick to XP as their primary operating system, and another 10% will keep the almost obsolete Windows 2000. The prediction continues. By the end of 2008, 15% will be running Vista, but still, 40% are in favor of XP. When will this be the other way? 2010 is the answer. By then, Vista will be 3 years old, and I believe XP will be almost obsolete.

About half of the PCs now used by North American businesses fall below Windows Vista’s minimum system requirements, according to an automated survey of systems conducted from June through September by Softchoice Corp. And nearly eight of 10 business PCs would need additional memory to run Vista features such as the Aero 3-D “glass” interface, according to data the Toronto-based technology reseller gathered from more than 112,000 PCs at 472 companies and organizations.

Micrososft will have a tough time in controlling their pink cloud if the figures appear to be correct. And this article refers to business computers, in corporations. The home users might have a better vision.

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