Imagine this: ne of the world’s most powerful monopolies puts 10,000 people to work for five years to create one new product, and nobody is really sure if anyone wants it. How’s that for a gamble?
That’s what we have with Windows Vista, the new computer-operating system from Microsoft that debuted last week for businesses and, next month, for consumers. There has been so much buildup for this moment that you would expect Vista to cure cancer.
It’s been so long in coming that I’ll just be happy if it does the job and doesn’t present me with a daily dose of the Blue Screen of Death. Already experts are predicting Vista may be the last of its kind. Obsolete before it’s out the door? Geez, we haven’t even had a chance to open our wallets yet.
“Suddenly, the market changed and competitors started delivering technology at the speed of the Internet,” said James McQuivey, professor of market research at Boston University. “In some cases, they do it for free, and that’s painful for Microsoft.”
We should start a campaign. Anyone starting a thread on any message board or blog endorsing Vista should be flamed. DRM TCPA my ass.
Microsoft is going to hurt themselves with this product once people find out just how locked down their computer will be.