40M Vista Licenses in 100 Days 579
Gary writes "In the first 100 days since its launch in Jan 30 Windows Vista has sold an astounding 40 million licenses. Bill Gates gives the credit to accelerating consumer shift to digital lifestyles which has made it the fastest selling operating system in history. Surprisingly the more expensive premium editions accounted for 78 percent of Vista sales. With around 400,000 licenses a day new Vista users will take 8 weeks to beat Mac users, 4 days to exceed Mac sales and 3 days to exceed Linux desktop users."
Article (Score:5, Informative)
400,000/day? Not really (Score:5, Informative)
Two data points are not enough to extrapolate a curve, but I'd guess that sales as a function of time is a logarithmic curve (based on early adopters) plus a near-constant (based on replacement cycles).
Re:Where did they get these numbers? (Score:5, Informative)
If he had said that 40 million licenses were issued, that would be a different story... but he said sold.
Re:Still doesn't say (Score:3, Informative)
First the fact that Vista Is on most new PCs sold today. So what are the sales of PC's Sold starting Jan 31, 2007.
Next are these sales considered sales to stores So Best Buy Buys 100 copies at its store and they sit on the shelf for weeks. The Free Vista Upgrade from XP deal. Corprate Licenenses, they buy the new versions but takes years for them to install them. Sales doesn't always equate to user base. But still what do you expect. 95% of the market sells computers with Windows on it. They are not going to make there systems look bad by putting the Basic Version on their systems. They will always put the latest version of windows on their system unless thier customers request other wise. A lot of these system people had were from 2000 - 2002 and it is time for an upgrade.
Pulling an Epstein? (Score:3, Informative)
A Clarification (Score:5, Informative)
The "free" upgrades cannot be stated as sales. The discount coupons sold can be stated as sales this year -- and they were. Total deferred licensing (Vista + Office 2007) was around 1.64 Bn for Qtr 1 2007.
Re:Where did they get these numbers? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Still doesn't say (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Both. (Score:3, Informative)
So, every copy of XP bought since the launch of Vista?
Count it as a Vista license (albeit modified, as it isn't really a license for true Vista).
Meh... someone else [microsoft-watch.com] has explained it better than I have.
Re:another way to fight (Score:3, Informative)
Well, I don't know how I failed that test... I guess being my router, my media/tv computer, my dev machine, my kitchen computer (for the recipe database), as well as running on every laptop/desktop I own to get things done counts as failure of linux. I guess I'll just have to go back to my Atari 800... And what driver is it exactly that's lacking on my 20 computers?
SamRe:another way to fight (Score:3, Informative)
Look, if you want to be an anti-linux flamer, fine. But please stop using arguments from 10 years ago.
My wireless mouse, wireless gamepad, digital camera, digital video camera, printer, wireless network cards, graphics cards, and sound cards on five machines all work, flawlessly, out of the box, on almost every Linux distro I've tried for the past 12 months. Right now, Linux supports more hardware than Vista.
There are plenty of good reasons to criticize Linux, but complaining about drivers just makes you look like an idiot.
Re:Hmm.. (Score:1, Informative)
Be back later.
Re:Here it is. M$ is doomed. (Score:3, Informative)
I also have an Microsoft Action Pack Subscription. I need XP for certain games. In the subscription is a license for 10 xp pro 64 bit, 10 xp pro 32 bit, and 10 Vista business. Now the Vista business licenses are upgrades so I'm expected to upgrade each of those XP boxes. The reality of it is this. It isn't going to happen. I'm not going to upgrade those XP boxes any time soon and most of my 20+ computers are going to stick with the OS they were sold with unless I need to change them and in that case they'll get Ubuntu installed on them.
I upgraded a single computer with Vista only because I need to know about how to resolve issues with Vista when a customer brings their machine into the store. I also need to know how everything is organized. Other than that I have no need for those Vista licenses and they'll probably remain unused until the subscription expires--which will be in 6 months or so.
Microsoft was so cheap they couldn't even give me the Ultimate version in the action pack subscription unless I was willing to dish out 50% more for the actual subscription cost to upgrade. Then when the subscription expires I loose that money as well.
Of the machines that come into my store I have only seen a total of 3 with Vista in the first 100 days. I have had customers ask me about Vista and I explain what the WGN and WGA facilities are and how it equates to spying on them and then I make sure they understand the analogy of "walmart employees knocking on your door to search your home for paid for goods that you purchased at their store since you may be a regular customer". When they understand that analogy that's usually curtains for any Vista sale. I then tell them about how they drafted the hardware manufacturers into implementing this DRM technology and how the DRM is a locking mechanism to keep them from buying or investing in other systems. I give them the example of Apple's iPod and the music bought through iTunes. When they understand that they understand I'm trying to protect them and their privacy.
I assure them that Linux is the only product that will forever ensure their privacy and will never be used as a tool to lock them into a specific vendor.
Microsoft has been acting up. They've been a bad fat bully and people are really starting to despise them. You don't reward a fat bully by giving them candy and patting them on the back. You take out the strap and you don't spare the whip.
Microsoft knows they can just ignore any attempt at correction because they have certain politicians in their back pocket. They also know that they are a monopoly and no one can challege them in any short period of time. But sooner or later all these things are going to backfire and they are going to run out of new ways of getting around the laws. Sooner or later alternatives such as the Mac or Linux will pick up steam and Microsoft won't be able to stop the ball from rolling.
When the courts force Microsoft to disclose which IP is in question then we'll have that 800 pound chimpanzee off our backs and we can move on so that regular people can use Linux to do those things they want to do.
And frankly the guy that stated that Linux does nothing is so full of shit. When I read that I was like: what planet does this guy come from? What have they been feeding him there? He has no clue where Linux is and he's still opening his mouth. I wonder if he understands the difference between a copyright and a patent.
Re:Hmm.. (Score:2, Informative)
What we care about are things that Microsoft developed and intended to utilize in Vista to enforce software and media licensing, some of which which could easily be retasked to be more invasive and spy on the user, either intentionally or by accident through malicious software taking over. Some are not present, but some are, the rest can be added later after people are no longer complaining. Microsoft has shown it fully intends to utilize things like these in the future, so none of this is conspiracy theory.
Of most concern is the "Nexus", the secure kernel space capable of protecting specific parts of the system, preventing the user (and as a side effect, malware) from accessing or altering secure applications. This was primarily intended to stop users from circumventing software locks or DRM for media or software while the system was online, this was the first half of the system that is not currently present as far as we know.
The second half of the system that IS present is Secure Startup. The name was changed to Bitlocker at launch to market it as a user protection scheme. However Secure Startup was developed to be the offline half of the system intended to protect vulnerable software locks or DRM systems. By encrypting the main volume, users are prevented from circumventing DRM systems while the system is offline. The SS system also measures the bootloader to ensure it is not starting in a way that would break the chain of security. The encryption benefit to users is a side effect.
Some of the "Trusted" features of Vista are not in the system yet, some are, but the rest of the "Trusted" system will likely be installed with a service pack or update, at which time people will have already upgraded to Vista, and you can either choose to upgrade the components required, like the TPM or Processor, or simply not use the applications that will require them.
Corporate OEM purchases (Score:3, Informative)
I bet a lot of those licenses went to corporate OEM purchases.
We brought a shit load of Dell computers that came with Vista licenses. Microsoft got their money from Dell. All those purchases are on the Microsoft accounting books.
Then we imaged the new PCs with the the corporate XP license.
Number of Vista purchases: lots
Number of computers running Vista: 0
Ability to buy a Dell system for corporate use without any OS license: pipe dream
Dell is contributing here... (Score:4, Informative)
I mean, yes, they are forcing it on us as best they can, and there are still enough people who don't like it that Dell is giving us XP again. I really don't see a better time for Dell to ship Ubuntu, either. My recommendation to many people is: "Vista is likely to piss you off at least as much as Ubuntu is while you're learning it, and while people are rushing to release Vista-compatible versions of everything. If you're so determined to put yourself through the pain of a new OS, you may as well install Ubuntu (or Kubuntu), so that at least the next time around, you won't be paying for an upgrade."