The Trouble with Vista

The Trouble with Vista

It took a while to get out of the starting blocks, and when it did, Vista stumbled. Here are 12 reasons why its struggling, and five possible ways to get it back on its feet.

The Trouble with Vista – Problem #1

1) It is a resource pig that doesnt deliver enough bacon. With a new OS that got as much ink as Vista, youd expect to see a significant bump in things like PC sales. But according to most analysts, theres been no impact at all.

The Trouble with Vista – Problem #2

2) Promises of substantially better security were a lie. Microsoft promised enhanced security in Vista, but problems—such as the recent spat of driver vulnerabilities—continue to dog the operating system

The Trouble with Vista – Problem #3

3) Software application incompatibility. Its unfriendly to some VPNs. And it has trouble getting along with IE 7.

The Trouble with Vista – Problem #4

4) Too much dumb complexity. Shutdown is now a multi-step effort. User Account Control is a pain in the rump. The list goes on.

The Trouble with Vista – Problem #5

5) Hardware incompatibilities still abound. Microsoft rolled out the Vista Capable program in March 2006, but consumers found out that not all versions of Vista could run on the computers. Some sued. Microsoft was late issuing system requirements, and the

The Trouble with Vista – Problem #6

6) Cost. Microsoft went for what consumers would buy rather than what they needed, so in many instances, users are paying more for fewer features. Windows Vista Home Basic? It offers fewer capabilities for the same amount of money as Windows XP Home. Vist

The Trouble with Vista – Problem #7

7) Slow performance even on high-end systems. Gamers are disabling many features on Vista in order to improve the game performance.

The Trouble with Vista – Problem #8

8) No compelling reasons to upgrade from XP. XP is good enough, and Vista doesnt offer enough compelling enhancements.

The Trouble with Vista – Problem #9

9) Too much like Windows XP. Five years after its release, XP is rock-solid and has a large base of customers who feel it is good enough for them. Vista isnt enough of an improvement to make them crave the new OS.

The Trouble with Vista – Problem #10

10) People buy PCs, not operating systems.

The Trouble with Vista – Problem #12

11) Vista PCs are just like XP PCs. Why would users want to spend more money and make a change?

The Trouble with Vista – Problem #13

12) Most new Vista features can be gotten free for XP on the Web.

The Trouble with Vista – Possible Fixes

The Trouble with Vista – Fix #1

1) One version to rule them all. More than a dozen versions of Vista? Why not have one and make everyone happy?

The Trouble with Vista – Fix #2

2) Package all features for one reasonable price. Dont make the users have to work so hard to get Vista.

The Trouble with Vista – Fix #3

3) Advertise! iPhone ads are everywhere, even on late-night cable. Vista was there, and then was gone.

The Trouble with Vista – Fix #4

4) Release Service Pack 1. Please, as soon as possible.

The Trouble with Vista – Fix #5

5) Give the software away, to some people, anyway. Get people working with it, and let them be your voice to the rest of the population.

The Trouble with Vista – Conclusions

So, what is the bottom line, according to two of our bloggers who follow the space?

Microsoft cant fix the problem. Windows Vista is labeled a lemon and no amount of marketing is going to fix that. -Joe Wilcox, Microsoft Watch

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