Computer geeks who were hoping to find a PC featuring Microsoft Corp.’s brand-new operating system under the tree this December are going to be out of luck.
The Redmond software maker said on Tuesday that it would delay the consumer release of the new system, dubbed Vista, until January 2007. It’s a move analysts said would hurt computer makers and retailers most of all, since they were likely looking forward to a new operating system to boost holiday sales."It’s a much bigger deal for the computer makers than it is for anybody else," said David Smith, a vice president with Gartner Inc.
Windows Vista is Micros-oft’s first major update to the company’s flagship ope-rating system since Windows XP was released in late 2001, meaning partners will be left with a fifth major holiday season without a new version of the operating system to promote sales. "It’s not the optimal situation, to be launching the next-generation version of Windows right after the big holiday sales season," said analyst Joe Wilcox with Jupiter Research.
A spokesman for Dell Inc. declined to comment on how the delay might affect sales. In a statement releas-ed by Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard Co. said it supported the decision. (AP)
The Redmond software maker said on Tuesday that it would delay the consumer release of the new system, dubbed Vista, until January 2007. It’s a move analysts said would hurt computer makers and retailers most of all, since they were likely looking forward to a new operating system to boost holiday sales."It’s a much bigger deal for the computer makers than it is for anybody else," said David Smith, a vice president with Gartner Inc.
Windows Vista is Micros-oft’s first major update to the company’s flagship ope-rating system since Windows XP was released in late 2001, meaning partners will be left with a fifth major holiday season without a new version of the operating system to promote sales. "It’s not the optimal situation, to be launching the next-generation version of Windows right after the big holiday sales season," said analyst Joe Wilcox with Jupiter Research.
A spokesman for Dell Inc. declined to comment on how the delay might affect sales. In a statement releas-ed by Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard Co. said it supported the decision. (AP)