Microsoft admits Vista "capable" PCs are junk
The year, end of 2006, the problem, Microsoft won’t be able to ship Vista until early 2007, the solution, come up with a bait and switch campaign to sell PCs with Windows XP. This campaign led to confusion among consumers and even Microsoft employees. Manufacturers were allowed to label PCs with either a Vista Capable or Premium Ready sticker.
As I said way back when this program was introduced, Vista Capable systems were junk. They still are junk. Systems labeled as such were unable Media Center or Aero Glass, the enhanced interface present in Vista. Several other features were unable to be used as well.
Computers sold as Vista Capable were only able to run the lowest end version of Vista, Basic Edition. Vista Basic lacks Aero Glass and Media Center. The problems came in when people tried to upgrade the copy of Vista Basic to Home Premium or Ultimate and noticed that many of the features were still disabled.
It might have taken a while but Microsoft has finally admitted that the Vista capable campaign was botched. The admission comes as the class action lawsuit is proceeding against the company for this so-called “bait and switch.”
ComputerWorld says that pretty much any “piece of junk” will run Vista. Just because it will run, doesn’t mean it will run well.
I don’t know who’s side I’m on. Microsoft did clearly distinguish Vista Capable from Premium Ready computers and is it really that hard to tell just by reading which one you should buy? It’s pretty obvious to me but I guess it’s not so cut and dry for the “average” consumer.
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February 16th, 2008
I think that while to those that are tech-savvy it might seem obvious which is which in terms of the products you mention, it might not be so obvious to those that are not computer consultants, don’t have much background in technology or don’t know someone that does. A lot of people don’t know how to look for the finer details of new hardware and software packages and even the sometimes only slightly “hidden” problems. Since not everyone has the benefit of knowing a lot about technology (even many that are using computers on a daily basis), I think in this case it was Microsoft’s responsibility to be a clear about which was which in terms of the meaning of the “Vista Capable” label vs. the “Premium.” Even and especially in the small business sector where I operate as a consultant to many computer consultants and small business owners, I find that the majority of small business owners are marginally to VERY non-technical. And because they are typically operating without the benefit of a proper in-house IT department, they can make some pretty bad decisions when it comes to technology purchases and management of IT assets.
February 20th, 2008
Lol if you don’t know computers don’t use it idiots are everywhere.
July 1st, 2009
The trick is to stay off the bleeding edge which may not be easy for consumers as thats all thats available to them. Companies have the option of telling Microsoft that they are not upgrading and want more copies of the old OS. I’ve still got 1 PC running 2000 and its fast and does it all and its easy to network. XP is finally ready for primetime in my book. Vista should be skipped at all costs and I’ll start to test Win7 in 2011