Microsoft’s latest addition of Windows 7 to its operating system product line has been positive so far, grabbing a 2% OS market share, according to Net Applications. But seriously, the Redmond-based tech giant simply can’t afford for another miss like its predecessor which failed – Windows Vista. If it fails to convince system makers that they should include Windows 7 on their hardware, rather than Linux, or in the future, Chrome, it would be doomsday for Microsoft. Market share will head south, the company will post a dip in revenue, shares will start tumbling, the Windows brand will be tarnished, and rival Apple will dominate the OS market.
That’s why the folks at Microsoft are under tremendous stress to uphold Windows brand and prevent any heated criticisms just like what Vista has brought about. They need to prove and persuade computer users that Windows is the best and affordable operating system. Also, with web-based applications and the cloud becoming increasingly dominant, they need to create compelling software in order to keep up with the latest trends, and to suit customers’ preferences and needs.
Vista failed to garner the industry support that Microsoft had hoped for. It was launched in January 2007 with an aesthetically superior interface and arguably better security than Windows XP — the fifth Windows OS released six years earlier, in 2001.
The problem was this: Microsoft was trying to fix what was essentially not broken. Windows XP was, and is — unless Windows 7 upstages it — the most successful Windows of all time. It was fast, stable and worked well with applications. Microsoft clearly needed to turn up the heat to get XP-loving consumers and businesses to take up the upgrade. It sold Vista on looks. It sold Vista on features. It threw millions of dollars in marketing campaigns. But Vista was slower than XP, less stable and had compatibility problems with hardware like printers and scanners at the time of the launch, for many vendors had not yet written the software drivers for Vista. Consumers experienced a mess-up.
In one pre-launch campaign, they were told that computers with the Windows Vista Capable logo meant that these models could be upgraded to the new OS when it was released. But they later found that not all the PCs had enough processing power to run Vista’s high-end graphical features, and a class action lawsuit ensued in the United States. That lawsuit lost its ‘class’ status earlier this year but the judge did not dismiss the case. That means the individual consumer can still sue in his or her own name. A report by web metrics firm Net Applications earlier this month stated that Windows XP account for three-quarters of all existing Windows PCs. Vista has clearly failed, and Microsoft is hoping Windows 7 is the remedy.