From: "Rich Gauszka" 

some are questioning the MS 20 million claim

http://www.playfuls.com/news_06747_Why_20_Million_Windows_Vista_Licenses_Are_No
t_Enough.html
And now, 20 million licenses sold in only one month. There certainly were
many that exclaimed "Wow, what a performance!" Unfortunately
though, 20 million sold licenses is a slow start rather than a reason to
release victorious press statements.

First of all, 20 million doesn't say anything about the degree of adoption
of Windows Vista. As Microsoft itself notes, 20 million represents all the
sold licenses. In other words, don't think that there are 20 million PCs at
this moment running on Windows Vista.

In its press release, Microsoft avoided lifting the 'mist' and specifying
how many of these licenses have really reached consumers (perhaps it
doesn't know or perhaps it doesn't want to say) and how many are still with
PC producers, waiting to be shipped.

Secondly, the comparison with Windows XP is completely inappropriate and
simply represents a PR exercise. There have been five years between the
launch of Windows Vista and that of Windows XP.

Let's say that again: five years! In the domain of information technology,
known for its dynamics and speed of evolution, comparing a product launched
in 2007 with one launched in 2001 is like comparing apples and pears. Not
to mention how many PCs existed at the time and were being sold on the
market in 2001 and how many exist in 2007.

It would have been much more interesting if Microsoft had made public
information about how many Windows XP licenses have been sold in this same
period (which I am convinced the company will not do).

Then again, Windows Vista has no competition (everyone agrees that 95% of
the world's PCs run on Windows), it has had the most fantastic marketing
campaign ever created for a Microsoft product and all PC users must have
been waiting impatiently for it after five days.

If, under such conditions, Microsoft has only managed to sell 20 million
licenses, of which an uncertain number have actually reached the consumer
public, this is more of an underperformance to me and a reason for worry,
not for a press release.

"mike"  wrote in message
news:mcbj03pi4s5nsetuaqpi1v0hfkpl494h1t{at}4ax.com...
> On Tue, 27 Mar 2007 09:06:10 -0400, "Rich Gauszka"

> wrote:
>
>>The real test for
>>Windows Vista's success will be to see how computer sales in this quarter
>>fared compared to last quarter-if they are up significantly, it's quite
>>probable that demand for the new operating system was responsible.
>
>
> How much demand can there be if the PC retailers had no choice but to
> offer Vista on the PCs?
>
> It is not demand as much as force-feeding a market.
>
>  /m

--- BBBS/NT v4.01 Flag-5