What cost the Vista fiasco?

Is Windows Vista a success? This is what Microsoft's managers try to show, despite all the critiques and the apparent weaknesses of the operating system. Businessweek explains how much the Vista fiasco has cost so far to Microsoft.

Here are some of the evidences listed in this article:

• Companies expect to install Vista on only about 10% of the PCs they already own, compared with estimates last year that they'd be able to do so on 27% of their machines.
• "Dampening" adoption of Vista by corporate customers will shave $395 million in revenues and 2¢ a share in earnings from the company's financial results for the 2009 fiscal year.
• companies expect just 26% of their PCs to be running Vista by the beginning of 2011, down from an estimate of nearly 68% of computers by respondents to a similar survey a year ago.
• Sales of desktop Windows fell 2%, to $4.03 billion, and contributed to flat revenues (BusinessWeek.com, 4/25/08) during Microsoft's third quarter, reported Apr. 24. Shares of Microsoft closed June 11 up 18¢, or 0.65%, to 27.89. The shares are down nearly 22% this year.

Windows persists to tell people Windows Vista is not a failure, but the launch of a new operating system version next year is a clear evidence Microsoft had to make changes. I understand that such a big company, with investors high interest on the stock exchange market, can't really admit a failure, especially that important (the operating system is the milk-cow of Microsoft).

I wish them to succeed with this new version though, and that they'll be able to make the proper changes.