SP1 can bring Vista up, or it can kill it

Oct 1, 2007 17:33 GMT  ·  By

Windows Vista has already passed its first eight months on the market, if you take into consideration the January consumer launch. Obviously, a lot more time has passed since the November 2006 business launch of the operating system. And still, the verdict is still out on Windows Vista. From Microsoft's perspective, its latest operating system is headed for the dominant position on the platform market currently occupied by Windows XP.

Original equipment manufacturers and end-users are not on the same note as the Redmond company. While Microsoft is pushing Vista hard and focusing on the delivery of the first Service Pack for the operating system, OEMs responding to user feedback are still supporting Windows XP.

The last statistics provided by Microsoft in relation to Vista's market performances are two months old. Following the first six months since the client hit the shelves, the Redmond company applauded shipping 60 million licenses worldwide. The figure is roughly the equivalent of 6% of the operating system market.

But Vista is advancing slowly and its momentum seems to be wearing out. Consistent demand for Windows XP has prompted Microsoft to prolong the date of availability for OEM and direct retail licenses until June 30, 2008 from January 30. Vista should have been in for a parade with no rival whatsoever.

Early speculations and indications from analysts pointed to Linux and Mac OS X as Vista's main competitors. However, it was Windows XP that proved capable to limit the pace of Windows Vista adoption. Still, Vista is growing, and it is doing it in the space currently occupied by Windows XP.

The latest statistics published by Market Share by Net Applications come to prove just this point. XP's share dropped from 80.48% in August to 79.32% in September. At the same time, Vista jumped from 6.26% to 7.38% in a single month. This has been the most consistent growth for Windows Vista for the past few months, and it is not a coincidence that the moment coincided with Microsoft outlining its plans for the first service pack.

The Redmond company has already released Vista SP1 beta to over 12,000 testers, and is preparing to launch the final version in the first quarter of 2008. While an official availability date is not yet official, Microsoft hinted that Vista SP1 would drop sometime after February 2008.