There is no doubting the importance of Windows Vista, formerly known as “Longhorn” and the successor to Windows 95 through XP, as it forms the foundation for Microsoft’s future fortunes just as its predecessor did for the company in years past. Vista will be Microsoft’s strongest response to competitive pressure from platforms like Linux and the Mac OS. We won’t know whether this product is a success or a failure for sure until after it actually launches.
You said "As demand for a new product goes up, demand for existing products goes down, which is part of the risk Apple took when pre-announcing the move to x86. Recent surveys indicate demand for Apple's existing products is dropping like a rock as a result." Please cite your sources to confirm your statement that Apple has taken a hit in sales since their announced plan to move to Intel chips. I cannot locate evidence that verifies this.
Indeed, if the actual figures are to be believed it appears Apple's hardware sales have on the contrary INCREASED since they announced the switch to Intel. The existing install/user base is not disuaded in the least by the announcement - many have followed Apple from 68K days thru PPC, then from OS 9 thru OS X without much of a hiccup so they trust Apple to make the 'switch' a fairly seamless affair. This keeps current levels of sales steady at the very least, and the hardware becoming 'something PC users can relate more closely with' seems to be encouraging a greater number of them to make the leap away from the dark side of the force. Once you've had Mac, you never go back!
Loading ...
Windows Vista: Killer Product or Dud?
Posted by: Rob Enderle August 1, 2005 05:00 AMThere is no doubting the importance of Windows Vista, formerly known as “Longhorn” and the successor to Windows 95 through XP, as it forms the foundation for Microsoft’s future fortunes just as its predecessor did for the company in years past. Vista will be Microsoft’s strongest response to competitive pressure from platforms like Linux and the Mac OS. We won’t know whether this product is a success or a failure for sure until after it actually launches.
Once you've had Mac, you never go back!