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Windows 7 Blog Bad News for Vista

Microsoft would really love for you to buy Vista and all...but, hey, if you're really into Windows, the next version has its own blog. We've heard partners tell us that Microsoft's promotion of Windows 7 has hurt Vista's prospects for becoming the next XP. And we do sense a real mixed message from Microsoft here: On one hand, Steve Ballmer and company really pushed the forlorn OS at the Worldwide Partner Conference...but, on the other hand, Windows 7 sure is getting a lot of advance publicity from Redmond.

Now, a new report suggests that more than a third of "enterprise class" users are downgrading (if it can really be called that in this case) Vista licenses back to XP, and PC makers still aren't being shy about offering XP as an option to businesses. None of this can be good news for Vista, which looks destined to go down as a flop no matter how much Microsoft improves it or dresses up its marketing.

We still want to know whether you or your customers are planning to hang on to XP until Windows 7 comes out and, if so, what challenges you think you might face in stretching the incumbent OS' tenure for almost a decade. Répondez, s'il vous plaît, at [email protected].

Posted by Lee Pender on August 19, 2008


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