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Vista, Office up for New Year

Not that anybody sane really wants a new operating system and office software suite for Christmas, but there’s definitely a problem with Microsoft announcing shipping dates for Vista and Office for January of 2007.
andrewbyline

Not that anybody sane really wants a new operating system and office software suite for Christmas, but there’s definitely a problem with Microsoft announcing shipping dates for Vista and Office for January of 2007.

It’s not that the date means the software is delayed once again, which it is — Vista was supposed to launch in November last I heard, which is several years after it was first expected — it’s just that January is not a particularly good month to come after people for money.

The Christmas Holidays are an expensive time for most of us, what with all the presents and parties dragging on our bank accounts and piling up on our credit card balances, and the last thing we need is to wake up Jan. 1 and have to contemplate shelling out around $300 for Vista and another $600 for Office (although different versions will be available for different pricing).

Furthermore, the delay sinks all those computer companies out there who will be looking to sell systems for the holidays — why would anybody buy a new computer bundled with Windows XP only to have to turn around a few months later and buy Vista? If I were in the market for a new computer the sensible thing would be to wait a few months and get one bundled with the latest operating system.

There’s no question that people will want Vista. More than 90 per cent of computers around the planet are running some form of Microsoft operating system, and most users will upgrade to some form of Vista eventually.

XP has about run its course these past five years, and is saddled with a reputation for glitches and security holes. Few pieces of software have ever been as frequently patched and updated.

As we get closer to the release date we already know a few things about Vista. One is that it is designed to work with some heavy system specs, like dual core and 64-bit processors, as well as next generation graphics cards. In terms of features, there will be hundreds of new gadgets and widgets, bringing it more into step with Apple’s popular OSX operating systems.

Vista also promises to be more secure than XP, and the beta version was tested thoroughly at the recent Black Hat hackers conference. One security hole was discovered there, which Microsoft should be able to patch for the official Vista release.

Vista will also be harder to crash, with programmers literally going back to the drawing board in some ways to provide more stable operation, as well as to ensure Vista can handle drivers, third-party programs, and different types of hardware without getting bogged down or shutting down.

Microsoft has a lot riding on the Vista release. It’s a given that the new version of Office will work at least as well as the last three versions, but without a compelling operating system to drive sales it’s going to be a tough sell to people that have kept more or less up to date at this point.

But while a January launch is less than ideal for Microsoft or consumers, it’s safe to say that Microsoft has a lot going for it right now. Apple has made a few gains, largely based on the popularity of the iPod and its reputation for security and stability, but the company appears to be losing momentum (where’s the iPod phone, or touch-screen video iPod we’ve been hearing about the past year?) just as Microsoft is ready to release Zune, it’s own answer to the iPod.

And while Xbox and Xbox 360 are still costing the company billions, their main competitor, Sony, is imploding. Between battery recalls, delays in the PS3 release, digital rights management controversies, failure to find a compromise in the Blu Ray versus HD DVD format war, slow adoption of the PSP, the relative failure of the new Walkman, and a whole series of less than desirable products — how many people really need robot dogs anyway? — Sony makes Microsoft look downright visionary.

And Google? Still a huge concern for Microsoft, and here’s why:

Google, Google everywhere

Most small businesses don’t have IT departments — not because they don’t need them, the whole world is getting more high tech, but usually because they can’t afford them.

Google changed that last week with the introduction of Google Apps www.google.com. This is only a test version, but organizations that sign on will be able to coordinate all of their IT activities through Gmail, Google Talk, and Google Calendar, and create and maintain a company website through Google Page Creator. It’s a safe bet that the next step for Google is to include Google Spreadsheets and Writely — online spreadsheet and word processing software — as well as other programs like Google Earth, Google Pack, Google Toolbar, Google Desktop, Picasa (photo editing and archiving) and more.

Not only does Google Apps provide small businesses with a viable remote office, accessible from anywhere at anytime, they also provide it for free. It will be a while before Microsoft can match that offer.

Website of the Week

I’ve used this website before, but once again I have to give props to eHow www.ehow.com. Having recently purchased a home that needs a little work, I’m going to need a lot of the kind of help eHow provides — if only not to look like a complete idiot to the guys at the hardware store.