Microsoft strokes own ego and fudges Vista sales figures
Mikey 7 comments
I find this utterly hilarious. Microsoft's figures representing Vista sales are about to take a massive skew. Why? Here's the skinny. As you may or may not know Microsoft want to pull the plug on Windows XP at the end of June to (in theory) increase the uptake of Vista. Dell want nothing to do with that as they say it is difficult to sell their computers with Vista installed. Dell has now announced that they will still be selling computers with XP after June thanks to a technical loophole that will allow Microsoft to sell them XP under a Vista license. Get this:
"Dell will take advantage of a licensing option in Vista Business and Vista Ultimate that lets PC makers provide XP under the Vista license, which Microsoft calls a "downgrade" license. (Enterprises with site licenses have these same rights with any version of Vista.) In essence, the user is buying a Vista license that it can apply to XP, and Microsoft can still claim a Vista sale."
Some will say it's shear brilliance, others will say it's the equivalent of shady book-keeping. It's good news for consumers still wary of adopting Vista, but it also means Microsoft can now sell XP in droves and add the numbers into the Vista sales column thereby skewing the public perception of Vistas' popularity into their favour.
Gong
Monday 28th April 2008 | 11:28 AMRemember Enron?
I wonder what the stakeholders think about this
Rodney
Monday 28th April 2008 | 07:07 PMTechnically, if you have sold a Vista license, you have sold a Vista license. All Microsoft licesnings is "backwards compatible" isn't it? So XP licenses technically allow you to install 2k - you just don't have the media.
So it's no big change, other than provision of the media.
/\/\@ximus
Monday 28th April 2008 | 07:10 PM...in response to this comment by Rodney. True but....it means MS can say "Vista adoption is on the rise!" when in reality it's XP installations that are on the rise.
The Computer Whisperer
Monday 28th April 2008 | 08:43 PM...Or they could say "We have proven Vista is a success and has a large enough market share to be considered mainstream, therefore we are no longer manufacturing or distributing XP"
Gong
Monday 28th April 2008 | 10:55 PMhahahaha
the computer whisperer
funny stuff
CT
Wednesday 30th April 2008 | 05:28 AMThis have been going on for quite a while really. Microsoft has always (at least a long time?) allowed you to have an older operating system installed on a machine while using a newer CD key. So, you could buy a copy of Vista and install Windows ME or something.
I didn't know that it applied to OEM copies though, I had only heard about people with boxed copies be able to do it.
Anders
Monday 28th April 2008 | 08:25 AMPicture Balmer going to accounting:
Hey I need you to add another column called 'Vista sales that are really XP sales'. That's it - perfect. Now when Marketing calls and asks for the total Vista sales numbers make sure you give them the total combined numbers of 'actual Vista sales' and 'Vista sales that are really XP sales'. Get it?"