Vista is not helping PC sales

Author: Tim Smalley
Published: 24th May 2007

Microsoft would like you to believe that Windows Vista has caused a massive surge in PC sales, but the reality is quite different.

A report from research firm In-Stat has stated that the launch of Microsoft’s Windows Vista operating system has had no impact on the sales of personal computers.

At this month’s WinHEC keynote, Bill Gates announced that his company had sold 40 million copies of the new operating system and that the launch had caused an unexpected surge in PC sales.

However, the In-Stat report points out the fact that sales of PCs were down in the run up to the Windows Vista launch because consumers were waiting for systems preloaded with the new OS instead of Windows XP.

In-Stat said that it doesn’t question Microsoft’s sales figures, but it doesn’t believe that the launch will cause a long-term growth in PC sales. The firm says that the mini-surge we’ve seen in the wake of the Windows Vista launch is merely from the sales that were ‘lost’ in the run up to the OS’s launch.

To further highlight this, the research firm hasn’t changed its long term sales expectations and still expects 300 million PCs to be sold worldwide in 2009. I guess only time will tell if this holds true.

Have you upgraded to Vista yet, or are you waiting for headline DX10 games and/or the first Service Pack? Let us know in the forums.