Computer users that pass on Microsoft"s new Windows Vista operating system in favor of the company"s next OS release could find themselves in the lurch given Microsoft"s "poor" track record for shipping new products on time, research firm Gartner is warnings its clients.
In a note, Gartner said it"s been told by Microsoft that the software maker is "scoping Windows 7 development to a three-year time frame," confirming earlier new reports about Microsoft"s plan for a Windows Vista successor.
But Gartner warns that businesses that decide to stick with Windows XP -- Vista"s predecessor -- until Windows 7 is available may be pushing their luck. "If the release date slips, enterprises will find it difficult to fully eliminate Windows XP before ISV and Microsoft support [for Windows XP] ends," Gartner analysts write in the note.
A number of businesses and government agencies have indicated they may forego installing Windows Vista on their enterprise systems due to concerns about price, performance, and application compatibility. Some 30% of the 612 IT pros that responded to a recent InformationWeek survey said they have no plans to upgrade their company"s computer systems to Windows Vista.