Vista: Victim of Enterprise Malaise
link: original article - section: windows
Windows Vista probably deserves a break, but it won't be getting one from enterprises.
Major—what Microsoft would call—milestones aren't driving enterprises to radically change their Vista adoption plans. Even I'm surprised. I expected the release of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 or the end of Windows XP OEM sales to mean something for Vista adoption. Nope.
If Vista were a person, it might have an insecurity complex from all the rejection—and for good reason. Not since Windows Me has a Microsoft operating system seen such cool market reception. Based on a recent eWEEK survey of more than 400 IT decision makers, enterprises aren't lessening their resistance, even when there is good reason.
Service Pack 1 is typically a milestone for any Windows operating system, the point where businesses rush their deployments. But nearly three quarters of IT decision makers said that SP1 would have no affect on their Vista adoption plans. Based on two separate questions, IT organizations expect to have anywhere from 4 percent to as much as 9 percent of their PCs running Vista by year's end—25 months after release to businesses.
Nearly 50 percent of IT managers said that Windows XP's end of mainstream OEM distribution would have no affect on Vista adoption plans. Still, 28 percent said that XP's end would accelerate their adoption plans. That trends nicely with other data. IT managers said that 27 percent of their PCs purchased in the next year would be with Windows Vista. Microsoft largely pulled Windows XP from the OEM channel on June 30.
