Vista adoption to be the fastest ever, says analyst

Author: Tim Smalley
Published: 28th November 2006

Analyst: Vista will have the fastest growing OS user base ever, with up to 15% of users moving over in the first year.

A software analyst has predicted that the adoption of Microsoft's upcoming Windows Vista operating system will happen quicker than any previous OS release.

David Mitchell, Software Practice Leader at Ovum Ltd, claims that up to 15% of computer users will make the move to Windows Vista in the first year, making it the fastest growing new OS user base ever. He went on to say that Windows XP was adopted by 12-14% of users in its first year.

Many developers and gamers are looking forward to the next-generation graphical effects that we can expect to see in DirectX 10 enabled games. Both AMD and NVIDIA are also hoping for a resurgence in PC gaming and an increase in discrete graphics card sales, thanks to the Aero glass 3D desktop. The benefits don't stop there though, as Microsoft has made many improvements to the operating system's core.

Mitchell believes that Vista will be adopted quickly by both corporate customers and end users. The corporate adoption is thanks to Microsoft's Software Assurance scheme, which will grant participating companies an automatic upgrade. Of course, that is subject to the companies wanting to roll the new operating system out across their networks. He also believes that consumer adoption will be high too. Mitchell pointed to the rate of beta adoption, claiming that "it's very high".

The analyst also went on to talk about the rate of adoption for Microsoft's Office 2007 suite, indicating that the rate of adoption will be lower than Windows Vista in the first twelve months. He pointed out that "You don't get the OEM drag effect. If you buy a new PC, you get a copy of Vista. You don't necessarily get a copy of Office."

Will you be upgrading to Windows Vista and/or Office 2007 in the first year? Let us know in the forums.