14 DAY TRIAL // Believe it or not, Windows Vista, Microsoft's latest operating system, is not a source of user satisfaction. Following the 2001 to 2007 gap between the two Windows platforms, not taking into consideration XP SP2 in 2004, Vista is a failed Wow. Microsoft introduced the operating system as an apex of security, performance and evolution in comparison with Windows XP. However, Vista debuted on the market in November 2006 to businesses and in January 2007 to the general consumers with mixed reviews. And the overall conclusion seems to be that Microsoft could have done so much better, but somewhat managed to stop short.
A survey performed by ChangeWave, a research firm owned by Phillips Investment Resources, indicates that consumer satisfaction with Windows Vista is far from the levels applauded by Microsoft and certainly nowhere near the Sotto Voce, onomatopoetic and limp Wow. ChangeWave's Joshua Levine revealed that 34% of all Vista users noted some degree of dissatisfaction with Vista. Microsoft boasted in excess of 60 million sold licenses of Windows Vista in the operating system's first six months on the market.
However, this figure is bound to decrease in direct correlation with user frustration. Word has a way of getting around, and the number of Vista users that have declared that they are not satisfied with their copies of the operating system grew from 26% in June to 34% in August. Microsoft has a chance to redeem Vista with the first service pack, due in the first quarter of 2008. It remains to be seen if the company will pull it through.
"According to our survey, the biggest reason for the slow Vista adoption curve was the negative response from current Vista users. Among the 13% who currently use Vista at home, one-in-three said they were unsatisfied with the product -- up eight points since June. The outlook for Vista isn't likely to improve much for the remainder of 2007. Only 4% of consumers said they plan to upgrade an existing home computer to Vista during the next 90 days -- a one-point drop from our previous survey in June, and a four-point decline since March", Levine stated.