14 DAY TRIAL // According to estimates from Microsoft, Windows Vista shipped in excess of 60 million licenses in the first six months of general availability. The Redmond company would only confirm as sold some 40 million, but still applauded Vista as the fastest selling Windows operating system in the company's history. The evolution of Vista adoption indicated signs of slowing down between January and July 2007, as the uptake pace got tempered. While Microsoft boasted 20 million shipped licenses in just the first month, the number grew to 40 million by the 100th day of availability, and added another 20 million items only at the end of the first six months on the market.
Darren Huston, president of Microsoft's Japan unit, revealed during a press conference in Tokyo that the company expects Vista sales to continue to go strong. Huston forecasted that in a two to three years timeframe, Vista would end up being deployed on in excess of 50% of machines in Japan, according to CNN Money. But is this percentage a victory for Vista? Can Microsoft really wait two to three years for a mere 50% of the operating system market?
The fact of the matter is that the Japanese scenario served by Huston is illustrative for the worldwide performance of the operating system. Vista adoption will vary from economy to economy, but 50% in three years on any market is a failure. To understand this you have to take into consideration the fact that Microsoft plans to make available the successor of Windows Vista, Windows 7 (Seven) in 2010. By that time, the Redmond company will account for over 1 billion Windows install base. With 50%, Vista will be the dominant operating system, but it will also mean that Windows XP would have long survived its current overdue expiration date.
OneStat revealed that in July, Windows Vista accounted for a 3.23 global usage share out of a total of 96.72% for the Windows operating system. At the same time, Windows XP had a global usage share of 87.36%. Vista growing to 50% by 2009-2010 automatically implies that XP would still be installed on approximately 40% of computers worldwide. Not the news Microsoft wants to hear. Market Share by Net Applications has a more optimistic perspective giving XP just 81.40% of the operating system market at the end of July and Vista no less than 5.41%. Still, Microsoft's latest operating system is a long way away from dislodging its predecessor, as XP had between 2001 and 2007 to dig its roots in, while Vista seems to fail to gather enough momentum, or wind in its sales.