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Ballmer blames piracy for lackluster Vista sales

Rodimus Prime said:
If you think that then why the hell do you up OSX when it just going to be out dated 12-18months later with another upgrade cost.
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Because with OS X, to buy the new full version, its $129. To buy the full new version of Windows, it costs well over $400, possibly $500 if I recall correctly. In two years, thats a big jump. Sure, most people don't need Ultimate, but I don't think that even Vista's lowest-end choice(which has few new features over XP) is less than $129. Basically, its much less of a hit on the pocketbook to upgrade OS X every two years than to upgrade Windows every two years.
 
ghall said:
I think people are being smart and not buying Vista, because it's garbage. :rolleyes:
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Bingo, I have yet to see any software from microsoft that wasnt, yet they make some good hardware but in fairness Apple has the best software and its hardware is .....crippled in some fashion or another.
 
Besides looking pretty I don't think there are too many average home users or companies for that matter are prepared to part with their money for a Vista upgrade.
 
d_and_n5000 said:
Because with OS X, to buy the new full version, its $129. To buy the full new version of Windows, it costs well over $400, possibly $500 if I recall correctly. In two years, thats a big jump. Sure, most people don't need Ultimate, but I don't think that even Vista's lowest-end choice(which has few new features over XP) is less than $129. Basically, its much less of a hit on the pocketbook to upgrade OS X every two years than to upgrade Windows every two years.
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sorry that is the retail price you are comparing it with. the only far way price wise to work with is the Upgrade cost which I believe drop it down to 300 max. The only type of OSX version you can buy is an upgrade edition since you the only reason you would be buying it is to upgrade from a older edition. But knowing M$ the next one has no hope of being out until 2010 which would come out to be about the same cost to cheaper than keep up to date with OSX over same time span.
 
Ballmer is right. They pirated OSX and they are finding out that it's not a profitable way to do business. :D



 
Rodimus Prime said:
sorry that is the retail price you are comparing it with. the only far way price wise to work with is the Upgrade cost which I believe drop it down to 300 max. The only type of OSX version you can buy is an upgrade edition since you the only reason you would be buying it is to upgrade from a older edition. But knowing M$ the next one has no hope of being out until 2010 which would come out to be about the same cost to cheaper than keep up to date with OSX over same time span.
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Perhaps OSX Retail is only an upgrade according to the EULA, but it allows for a full installation on a clean system without requiring a previous installation or other install disks. Window Upgrade requires a previous installation or a full install disk.
 
danny_w said:
Perhaps OSX Retail is only an upgrade according to the EULA, but it allows for a full installation on a clean system without requiring a previous installation or other install disks. Window Upgrade requires a previous installation or a full install disk.
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and tell me how it would be possible to get around it. Apple does not need to do that check because it is impossible (with out a huge work around) to install it on a non apple computer. And since all apple computer come with previous version of OSX on it apple kind of doing the same check. It just checking to make sure it is an apple computer and from there the upgrade check is done.
 
If you can sell it, it will be pirated. It is more popular in Canada to pirate than either Russia or China.
 
Vista is already installed on all new OEM Windows PCs. This is Microsoft's captive market. But Microsoft did not need to create a new version of Windows just to sell to OEMs -- they are forced to buy whatever current version Microsoft sells. The real money for Microsoft is in the upgrade market, and it doesn't look like they're doing so well with it right now.
 
princealfie said:
It's not piracy that killing Vista, it's the fact that you can't run it on computers older than 2006.
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That's certainly the case with the corporate market they thought they had locked up with overnight upgrade sales.

Where I work we're not going to upgrade older computers at all and Vista will only roll out as quickly as new computers are purchased.
 
I wonder if that 33% of pirated Windows is taken into account when market share is calculated. ;)
 
This whole Visa/Office 2007 upgrade thing has me thinking a lot about Apple in the mid-1990s: Machines priced higher than their competition and so many different versions that making a choice was almost paralytic. There's like what, six versions of Vista and Office 2007 each?

Ballmer can blame piracy all he wants, but the truth is the M$ is offering too little compatibility with too few real new features, for too much, with too many choices for the average consumer to understand.

And, then there's that other issue of having even a Pentium 4HT grind to a halt trying to run Vista (if XP was a resource hog, you ain't seen nothin' yet). Someone said above that M$ has got the PC makers on a short leash b/c that's where every new copy if Vista is being installed - I totally agree with this. I also think that the whole Office 2007 file incompatibility issue is going to come back and bite M$ as well - sure, you can "save as" a previous version of Office document, but somehow I don't think everyone is going to be thinking of this when they're sending out memos from their shiny new Intel quad-core PCs. Has anyone received an Office 2007 document and tried to open it with Office 2004 on a Mac or 2003, 2002, or 2000 on a PC? It's not pretty.

M$ is forcing a major software upgrade on folks, and charging dearly for it. This is classic behavior of a monopolized industry. Heck, even Apple had the good sense to build in "Classic" and "Rosetta" into its OS X versions for PPC and Intel. And while M$ claims that Vista will run almost any 2000 or XP program, reports from the field beg to differ - this wasn't nearly as big an issue as the transition from 2000 to XP.

I'm guessing consumers are hearing more about the initial wave of backlash against Vista and it's giving them pause for concern - especially if they don't have deep pockets to upgrade their hardware and Office.
 
MacboobsPro said:
I saw a post where someone got it up to nearly 20 different versions including 32 or 64 bit and all the business versions too. :eek:
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Good grief - This is even more confusing for the layperson. I understand that Vista will mostly self-determine if it's being installed on a 32- or 64-bit system, but it introduces another layer of unnecessary information for the consumer. I also forgot to mention that M$ *does* have an Office 2007 converter for people running any previous version of Office on Windows (note, this doesn't yet exist for OS X - so much for M$'s "renewed commitment" to Apple from a couple MWSF's back), but again, this means the everyday Windows user needs to be aware the converter exists, how to download it and how to use it.

Apple isn't exactly coming up roses lately with me either, but at least it tries to keep these kinds of hassles "behind the scenes" in its software.
 
Don't forget that it will take a while for businesses to upgrade to Vista. I know Network Rail in the UK isn't upgrading until at least 2010.
 
ChrisG said:
Don't forget that it will take a while for businesses to upgrade to Vista. I know Network Rail in the UK isn't upgrading until at least 2010.
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I don't see any reason for National Rail to upgrade at all...
 
MacboobsPro said:
I saw a post where someone got it up to nearly 20 different versions including 32 or 64 bit and all the business versions too. :eek:
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I do not know where they are getting the 20 from I count 15 at max and 3 of them really should not count because they are not on the self to confuse customers any how (Start, Enterprise, Enterprise 64)

So that puts it down to 12 and then 4 of those are there because of governments (Home basic N and Business N and there 64 bit counter part) so that 4 where beyond M$ control.

It really comes down to there being 4 boxes on the shelf. Now if you put in the Retail and upgrade that numbers goes to 8.

That being said yeah I do think that is way to much. I think 2 version of Vista more than enough (home and Pro) but the 4 different versions is over kill.

As for 64bit version you are given that option at install if you computer can run it.
 
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