In a meeting with financial analysts last week, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer laid out who he thinks are the biggest threats today to Windows on the client side. Surprisingly, Apple wasn't number one. It wasn't number two or three either.
Despite pleas from users to stop the confusion and craft one version of Windows 7, Microsoft is continuing down the path it followed with XP and Vista releasing multiple versions or SKUs (stock-keeping units) of Windows 7.
It's not often that <a href="http://www.cio.com/article/479102/subject/Steve+Ballmer">Steve Ballmer</a> sounds like <a href="http://www.cio.com/article/479102/subject/Steve+Jobs">Steve Jobs</a>.
After <a href="http://www.cio.com/article/477459">announcing layoffs</a> and poor earnings for Q2 2009 last week, <a href="http://www.cio.com/article/478257/subject/Microsoft+Corporation">Microsoft</a> has to worry more about how it is perceived by Wall Street, competitors, shareholders and the press. But what about the people in the trenches? What do IT managers think about Microsoft's economic woes?
An XP-to-Vista migration may not be in the cards for everybody, but at this point, the jump to Windows 7 is inevitable for XP users.
Possibly <a href="http://www.cio.com/article/476421/subject/Microsoft+Corporation">Microsoft</a>'s most important strategic goal for Windows 7, in addition to redeeming the brand damage done by <a href="http://www.cio.com/article/476421/subject/Microsoft+Windows+Vista">Windows Vista</a>, is to dominate netbooks, now the fastest selling segment of the PC market.
Microsoft hopes that the release of Windows 7 will solve problems ranging from desktop clutter to what Vista did to Microsoft's public reputation. But the toughest challenge may be to win over the group of people that arguably represent the software giant's biggest obstacle to success: Windows XP users.
Microsoft generated plenty of negative headlines in 2008. We watched as it struck out in its attempts to acquire Yahoo. And Microsoft-haters grew smug when the confusing Seinfeld-Gates commercials were quickly pulled and replaced with the "I'm a PC" campaign. Microsoft's attempts to out-market Apple and reverse the negative press of Windows Vista simply didn't work out.
As the year winds down, financial analysts are predicting that Microsoft will pre-announce negative earnings for the first time since 2000 because of a flat PC market. But all things considered, 2008 was a pretty good year for the software giant.
Windows is still used on 90 percent of computers and Internet Explorer on 70 percent. Despite growing Web-based competition, Microsoft Office saw 20 percent growth in Q1 of fiscal 2009 and the company's server and tools division grew by 23 percent in Q1 2009.
Phasing out an old operating system is nothing new for Microsoft, but Windows XP is unique in that it may be too good to die.
It's been a hard road for Microsoft's Windows Vista, but even though negative perceptions have followed the operating system since its release, recent data and positive user feedback show a glimmer of hope for Microsoft that Vista's ship is turning around.
Microsoft's recent Security Intelligence Report shows that Windows Vista was more resistant to exploits than Windows XP in the first half of 2008.
Microsoft officially says it will ship the Windows 7 operating system within three years of the January 2007 consumer release of Windows Vista. But speculation abounds that the software giant is gunning to ship halfway through 2009 to be on machines for the back-to-school and holiday seasons.
Despite <a href="http://www.cio.com/article/455911/Five_Reasons_Why_Skipping_Windows_Vista_Could_Backfire">warnings to businesses</a> about the dangers of skipping <a href="http://www.cio.com/article/459266/subject/Microsoft+Windows+Vista">Windows Vista</a>, many IT managers and CIOs are standing firm that the risks of migrating to Vista outweigh the benefits.
Recent sales numbers for Windows Vista paint a somewhat dreary picture for the OS as consumers and enterprises try to save dollars in an economic downturn.
Though it's tempting, skipping a Microsoft Vista migration and jumping right to Windows 7 could be disastrous for your enterprise, Gartner advises. Here's five points to consider before writing off Vista for its successor.