Microsoft has characterized itself as happy with Windows Vista adoption so far and Bill Gates said last week at WinHEC that Microsoft had shipped 40 million copies. However, research firm In-Stat, which has tracked sales since Vista's release and is forecasting PC sales through 2011, has concluded that Vista has not resulted in a significant bump in PC sales. In-Stat's conclusions are not surprising, especially given the way in which consumers typically migrate to a new operating system. Most people will stick with whatever came with their computer, only upgrading to a new OS with the purchase of a new PC.
In the months running up to Vista's January release, some consumers put off PC purchases in order to get a shiny new Vista installation instead of Windows XP and a coupon for a free Vista upgrade. However, that has proven to be a short-term phenomenon, according to In-Stat. "System sales that had been muted waiting for systems pre-loaded with Vista rather than XP are expected to work through sales channels in the next two quarters. However, these sales represent an offset from last year rather than actual new demand creation," said In-Stat analyst Ian Lao.
News source: Ars Technica
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