So, Microsoft’s next version of its popular Windows operating system, Vista, has officially been released. Hundreds of millions on pounds have been spent in the UK alone advertising and promoting it and Bill Gates certainly seems very excited about it. But, is all the hype about Vista really going to encourage people to buy it? Is all the over-promotion going to make consumers look past the hefty price tag, costly minimum requirements and insane restrictions applied to the software? My opinion says yes.
Windows Vista has been five years in the making with over 1 billion beta testers during this time and 140 families from seven countries helping to make Vista the most tested operating system ever made by Microsoft. It’s the safest operating system they’ve ever made and probably the operating system that has been in the public spotlight the most. Vista has relatively high hardware requirements to run its most advertised features such as the Aero theme and it’s Media Centre add-on.
Sky’s the Price
There are several different versions of Windows Vista – and even more here in Europe (N versions) – and each has their own feature set. There’s Home Basic, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate each increasing in price and features. A comparison chart can be found at the official website. The prices for retail editions range from £180 for Home Basic up to £370 for Ultimate. I personally will not be paying over £300 for an operating system and I don’t think the average consumer would knowingly either. The average consumer would just have bought a new computer, most likely especially for Vista, and spending maybe half of the new systems cost on the operating system seems insane to me.
Unlike most consumers, I know about OEM versions of the operating system. Although, as with XP, there is a severe limitation on how many times you can install the software, the price is under half of the retail price – a very good incentive. But, as you can only install it on one computer it means that the computer I install it on would have to be a new one. This is the main reason why I have no plans to purchase Vista just yet.
Hefty Requirements
Vista demands more from the hardware than ever before with the recommended requirements now pushing up the standard configuration you’ll find in laptops and desktops you can buy in high street shops. This also means increased prices for the average consumer – he or she won’t build their own computer; they’re more likely to turn to Dell or take a trip down to their local PC World store or Currys.
Most computers bought in the last three or four years will run Vista without a sweat but for those without a computer or those with computers that are not up to the challenge will either have to buy a brand new computer or upgrade their current configuration – most consumers won’t consider upgrading it themselves and most will see buying a new system as the easiest and sometimes cheapest option although this is not always the case.
Brainwashed Buyers
Microsoft have made a lot of public fuss about Vista and by rights they should be able to celebrate a project that has finally materialised after over five years of development. I feel though that there is a more sinister objective in Microsoft’s efforts to spread the word. The aim for every business is to maximise their profits and I think that Microsoft is sort of pushing information at its discretion into the public’s ear. 
For example if consumers do buy from a company such as Dell or Ginger6 then they cannot reinstall Vista on a different computer due to the restrictions on it. Consumers seem to not know this and when the time comes, they’re going to wonder why they ever spent £300 on it.
My Thoughts
There are several reasons why I have no plans to buy Vista in the near future. Personally, the price isn’t really an issue with me. I would go and buy an OEM version of Home Premium or Ultimate tomorrow but my main reasons lay with my current hardware configuration. I don’t want to buy Vista and install it on a computer that I think isn’t quite up to the job. My current rig will run Vista, as I have been doing with a few of the beta versions, but I don’t want to install it on outdated hardware.
Vista seems to have me asking myself whether to buy a new computer system or upgrade my current one. I don’t know why I am even asking myself this as I have a perfectly good computer that does what I need it to do and more. There are not much benefits to upgrading to Vista and those that do make it worth while can be achieved on XP with a little extra work.
Microsoft’s made a big effort to get the word out about Vista and I think all their marketing efforts will be rewarded but I fear that spending £370 on an operating system that is to be eclipsed by the next version in 5 years time is just not worth it. Spending maybe £500 on a new computer just for Vista isn’t worth it – there has to be some other reason too, not just because you want Vista.
