Vista delay tests Windows faithful

Vista delay weaken's Microsoft's credibility with business customers

Microsoft may have further weakened its credibility with business customers last week, after it announced that editions of Windows Vista for consumers and pre-installation on new PCs will be delayed until January.

The change means Microsoft will miss its self-imposed deadline of 2006 for Vista in those forms of distribution. Businesses on volume licences will gain access to the operating system in November but the lack of PCs running Vista could slow the progress of early adopters.

Microsoft platforms and services co-president Jim Allchin said the delay represented only “a few weeks” of development time and had been requested by PC makers.

The announcement came just a week after Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer said Vista was on track for 2006.

“The real question is, when will Microsoft turn the corner in terms of its roadmaps?” asked Brian Gammage, research vice-president at Gartner. “Their main sales channel is through original equipment manufacturers and the only effect of this is to give those customers who had planned to jump from Windows 2000 to Vista less time.”

David Bradshaw of analyst Ovum said, “This looks like a serious embarrassment to Microsoft. The decision to delay the consumer rather than business versions seems odd in commercial terms, and therefore has to be technical.”

Also last week, Microsoft restructured its Platforms & Services Division, with former Office chief Steven Sinofsky taking charge of Windows. Office 2007 has reportedly been delayed to match Vista’s schedule.