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Windows Vista – (Too) Great Expectations?
Posted By: David Mitchell Smith, VP and Gartner Fellow
Microsoft has done a good job promoting the consumer Vista launch. From a big launch event to promotions at retailers to guest appearances on TV by Bill Gates, the company has spared no expense. But, in some ways, is it may have done too well. By claiming that Vista is the biggest release since Windows 95, the company is inviting comparisons of the two launches. Few events have or could hope to match the excitement of Windows 95. And Vista (unlike XP and 95) is trying to replace a system that users are mostly happy with. This should not be underestimated. As much as there have been issues with XP, the installed base is generally happy.Also, by highlighting that Office 2007 and Vista are shipping at the same time, the company risks the perception that both need to be installed at the same time, and, although reviews of Office 2007 are overall positive, there is still apprehension, largely as a result of the new ribbon UI.One of the biggest areas that could be an issue is the crowds (or lack thereof) at the special retail events at 10 p.m. or midnight. Although retailers are leading this effort, the combination of the mostly happy XP users and the fact that this is the middle of winter, not the summertime launch of Win95, means we didn't see anywhere near the crowds that the introduction of Win95 brought. So, even if Vista ultimately is successful, which it eventually will be, it will have to overcome some expectations this week.
Posted By: David Mitchell Smith, VP and Gartner Fellow
Microsoft has done a good job promoting the consumer Vista launch. From a big launch event to promotions at retailers to guest appearances on TV by Bill Gates, the company has spared no expense. But, in some ways, is it may have done too well. By claiming that Vista is the biggest release since Windows 95, the company is inviting comparisons of the two launches. Few events have or could hope to match the excitement of Windows 95. And Vista (unlike XP and 95) is trying to replace a system that users are mostly happy with. This should not be underestimated. As much as there have been issues with XP, the installed base is generally happy.Also, by highlighting that Office 2007 and Vista are shipping at the same time, the company risks the perception that both need to be installed at the same time, and, although reviews of Office 2007 are overall positive, there is still apprehension, largely as a result of the new ribbon UI.One of the biggest areas that could be an issue is the crowds (or lack thereof) at the special retail events at 10 p.m. or midnight. Although retailers are leading this effort, the combination of the mostly happy XP users and the fact that this is the middle of winter, not the summertime launch of Win95, means we didn't see anywhere near the crowds that the introduction of Win95 brought. So, even if Vista ultimately is successful, which it eventually will be, it will have to overcome some expectations this week.
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Why Isn't BitLocker Available to Everyone?
Posted By: Jeffrey Wheatman, Research Director
At the Vista kickoff, Steve Ballmer was asked, "How important is BitLocker?" In his typical booming response, Ballmer said, "hugely important." For those of you that don't know, BitLocker is Vista's tool for whole disk encryption. It was created as a direct response to the plethora of lost data resulting from lost or stolen laptops. BitLocker provides protection against data loss by encrypting the entire disk, thus protecting data from prying eyes.This is a particularly interesting response in light of the fact that BitLocker is only available via Microsoft's Software Assurance (SA) program aimed at large enterprises and the Ultimate version. Ultimate carries a pricing premium of 66% over the Home Premium version, includes every option of both home and business versions and is not targeted at typical home or SMB users. This means that small businesses and home users of Vista won't get the benefit of BitLocker's protection. If Steve Ballmer says it is hugely important, then why is Microsoft excluding so many of its clients from one of the major security functions on Vista?Are there pieces missing which would be required for the tool to work with home or small and midsize business users (such as Web-based key recovery), or is it part of Microsoft's attempt to sell up to SA across the board, locking more users in for the long term?
Posted By: Jeffrey Wheatman, Research Director
At the Vista kickoff, Steve Ballmer was asked, "How important is BitLocker?" In his typical booming response, Ballmer said, "hugely important." For those of you that don't know, BitLocker is Vista's tool for whole disk encryption. It was created as a direct response to the plethora of lost data resulting from lost or stolen laptops. BitLocker provides protection against data loss by encrypting the entire disk, thus protecting data from prying eyes.This is a particularly interesting response in light of the fact that BitLocker is only available via Microsoft's Software Assurance (SA) program aimed at large enterprises and the Ultimate version. Ultimate carries a pricing premium of 66% over the Home Premium version, includes every option of both home and business versions and is not targeted at typical home or SMB users. This means that small businesses and home users of Vista won't get the benefit of BitLocker's protection. If Steve Ballmer says it is hugely important, then why is Microsoft excluding so many of its clients from one of the major security functions on Vista?Are there pieces missing which would be required for the tool to work with home or small and midsize business users (such as Web-based key recovery), or is it part of Microsoft's attempt to sell up to SA across the board, locking more users in for the long term?
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Stay on Top of Vista Updates
Posted By: Steve Kleynhans, Research VP
If you've been running Windows Vista before launch, you've no doubt struggled with the sometimes patchy quality of early device drivers. During the past few weeks, I've found myself frequently checking key vendors' Web sites looking for new updated drivers...but few have been coming. The vendors say that final, certified public drivers will be up on their Web sites on 30 January. This begs the question of what drivers are on all those brand-new Vista PCs that are on store shelves. After all, those machines were likely assembled and loaded up several weeks ago. Will a buyer of a new machine be forced to immediately connect to Windows Update or scour all the component suppliers' Web sites to download the "real" drivers for their brand-new system?Although this is standard practice for many enthusiasts, most consumers would find this unacceptable. The good news is that it shouldn't be necessary. In most cases, PC manufacturers get drivers that are different from the public ones posted online at a component supplier's site. Typically, these drivers are jointly developed and are pared down for specific requirements. They also don't need as much regression testing, because they are going into a well-known, tightly controlled package. The PC on the shelf should be a fully certified and functioning Vista machine out of the box. However, there are a couple of caveats.Once you get a new machine, you should connect to Windows Update to get security updates, even if no driver updates are required. You should also familiarize yourself with whatever facility the PC manufacturer provides for driver updates and see if they have any updates.At least initially, using drivers directly from a component supplier's Web site might actually downgrade capabilities from the pre-installed drivers. You should stick to the PC manufacturer's Web site for the first few months for any driver updates.The bottom line is that, with Vista, as with any new platform, early buyers of new Vista machines should expect that there will be a few rough spots to be worked through during the next few weeks, and they will need to stay connected to both Microsoft and their PC maker.
Posted By: Steve Kleynhans, Research VP
If you've been running Windows Vista before launch, you've no doubt struggled with the sometimes patchy quality of early device drivers. During the past few weeks, I've found myself frequently checking key vendors' Web sites looking for new updated drivers...but few have been coming. The vendors say that final, certified public drivers will be up on their Web sites on 30 January. This begs the question of what drivers are on all those brand-new Vista PCs that are on store shelves. After all, those machines were likely assembled and loaded up several weeks ago. Will a buyer of a new machine be forced to immediately connect to Windows Update or scour all the component suppliers' Web sites to download the "real" drivers for their brand-new system?Although this is standard practice for many enthusiasts, most consumers would find this unacceptable. The good news is that it shouldn't be necessary. In most cases, PC manufacturers get drivers that are different from the public ones posted online at a component supplier's site. Typically, these drivers are jointly developed and are pared down for specific requirements. They also don't need as much regression testing, because they are going into a well-known, tightly controlled package. The PC on the shelf should be a fully certified and functioning Vista machine out of the box. However, there are a couple of caveats.Once you get a new machine, you should connect to Windows Update to get security updates, even if no driver updates are required. You should also familiarize yourself with whatever facility the PC manufacturer provides for driver updates and see if they have any updates.At least initially, using drivers directly from a component supplier's Web site might actually downgrade capabilities from the pre-installed drivers. You should stick to the PC manufacturer's Web site for the first few months for any driver updates.The bottom line is that, with Vista, as with any new platform, early buyers of new Vista machines should expect that there will be a few rough spots to be worked through during the next few weeks, and they will need to stay connected to both Microsoft and their PC maker.
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Windows Vista and MUI
Posted By: Frances O'Brien, Research VP
With the launch of Windows Vista, there has been some confusion regarding license entitlements and the use of multilingual interfaces (MUIs). With Windows Vista, MUI, which is the ability to build and deploy an image that includes multiple languages that users can switch between, will be available exclusively by purchasing Software Assurance (SA) on the Windows client. Specifically, clients have been asking how their ability to use MUI would be affected if they decided to discontinue their Enterprise Agreement (EA) or not cover future desktop purchases with SA.For example, suppose that you have an EA for 1,000 desktops that expires in December 2006. Once it expires, you would get the rights to deploy Vista at a later date, which would allow you to use the MUI on those desktops. However, once an EA or SA expires, the Vista license (which includes rights to MUI) gets tied to the PCs that was covered at the time the EA or SA expired. So, as those original 1000 PCs are retired or removed from service, your rights to MUI will not extend to new purchases unless you buy SA.
Posted By: Frances O'Brien, Research VP
With the launch of Windows Vista, there has been some confusion regarding license entitlements and the use of multilingual interfaces (MUIs). With Windows Vista, MUI, which is the ability to build and deploy an image that includes multiple languages that users can switch between, will be available exclusively by purchasing Software Assurance (SA) on the Windows client. Specifically, clients have been asking how their ability to use MUI would be affected if they decided to discontinue their Enterprise Agreement (EA) or not cover future desktop purchases with SA.For example, suppose that you have an EA for 1,000 desktops that expires in December 2006. Once it expires, you would get the rights to deploy Vista at a later date, which would allow you to use the MUI on those desktops. However, once an EA or SA expires, the Vista license (which includes rights to MUI) gets tied to the PCs that was covered at the time the EA or SA expired. So, as those original 1000 PCs are retired or removed from service, your rights to MUI will not extend to new purchases unless you buy SA.
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Office 2007 Hits November Price Lists
Posted By: Michael Silver, Research VP
There was no formal announcement, but Microsoft has added Office 2007 to the November Select and Open price lists. Although the software has not been released to manufacturing (RTM) yet, adding the product to price lists has a couple of implications. 1) Organizations with Software Assurance on Office (including most Enterprise Agreements) will have rights to the product, as long as their contract is in effect in November. Organizations whose contracts expire at the end of November can now breathe a sigh of relief knowing that they will have rights to the software whether they renew their SA or not. 2) Anyone that buys Office after 1 November should be ordering 2007. There is a 5% price increase they’ll have to absorb, but most would rather have the new version than save the 5%.However, the software is not actually available yet. Microsoft has not announced the RTM date, but, realistically, most organizations won’t do more than kick its tires during the remainder of 2006 anyway. To many, the date it shows up on price lists is actually more important than having the actual code.
Posted By: Michael Silver, Research VP
There was no formal announcement, but Microsoft has added Office 2007 to the November Select and Open price lists. Although the software has not been released to manufacturing (RTM) yet, adding the product to price lists has a couple of implications. 1) Organizations with Software Assurance on Office (including most Enterprise Agreements) will have rights to the product, as long as their contract is in effect in November. Organizations whose contracts expire at the end of November can now breathe a sigh of relief knowing that they will have rights to the software whether they renew their SA or not. 2) Anyone that buys Office after 1 November should be ordering 2007. There is a 5% price increase they’ll have to absorb, but most would rather have the new version than save the 5%.However, the software is not actually available yet. Microsoft has not announced the RTM date, but, realistically, most organizations won’t do more than kick its tires during the remainder of 2006 anyway. To many, the date it shows up on price lists is actually more important than having the actual code.
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