Ballmer: Piracy to Blame For Slow Vista Sales

[Hairbautt]

http://images.dailytech.com/frontpage/fp__steve_ballmer.png (http://www.dailytech.com/Article.aspx?newsid=6156)Microsoft plans to step up antipiracy measures to bolster Vista sales

Microsoft didn't seem to have any problems with forecasted sales projections for Windows Vista when analysts were abuzz at the end of 2006. In late November, IDC projected that over 90 million copies of Windows Vista would ship in 2007 -- far outpacing the 67 million copies of Windows XP shipped during its first year on the market.

Now after slow initial sales of Windows Vista, Microsoft is saying that the analysts were "overly aggressive" with their sales projections. According to PC Advisor, Vista sales are off 60% compared to the 2001 launch of Windows XP. Revenue is also down by 23% so far with Vista's launch.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer repeatedly suggested that piracy is the reason why Vista is coming up short in sales. As a result, Ballmer feels that Microsoft must step up its antipiracy efforts to protect Vista sales worldwide. The move to stave off increases in pirate activity will no doubt affect the everyday users of Microsoft's operating systems. "We [will] really ferret through how far we can dial it up, and what that means for customer experience and customer satisfaction," said Ballmer.

"Piracy reduction can be a source of Windows revenue growth, and I think we'll make some piracy improvements this year," Ballmer continued. "We will have strong growth in the Windows business in emerging markets: China, India, Brazil, Russia and many others. Those markets are very high in piracy."

Microsoft is no stranger to piracy and Bill Gates recently had a front row seat when boastful Romanian President Traian Basescu proclaimed that "[Piracy] set off the development of the IT industry in Romania... It helped Romanians improve their creative capacity in the IT industry, which has become famous around the world."

A senior attorney for Microsoft also estimates that over 33% of all Microsoft software available worldwide is pirated.

:source: Source: DailyTech (http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=6156)

[NeoTheOne]

wasnt windows suppose to have super anti piracy preventions? Take that Microsoft!

[GepperRankins]

of course, taunting pirates and overcharging has nothing to do with anything :dabs:

[thewizeard]

They could also admit to it being a flop..

[Broken]

HA HA! LOL!

I could have a pirated copy of Vista in under 30 minutes. But I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole.

Piracy has nothing to do with lackluster sales of Vista. If it was even a good OS, it doesn't even have to be the advance in computing that M$ claims it is, Vista would be flying off the shelf.

Instead it's full of bugs, plagued by lack of drivers, and above all else it is the overkill on DRM that is killing Vista. Not to mention, that unless you plan on doing some major upgrades to the average computer - the major selling point of the OS, the eye candy, is totally voided.

[Virtualbody1234]

I think Microsoft has made a big mistake.

On the day of the release all the big stores (Bestbuy, Futureshop etc.) took out XP and replaced it with Vista. Even all the laptops and computers had only Vista available. Force it down our throats why don't you.

I think that XP is still better than Vista right now and may always be. We'll see...

For now they're even losing sales of XP. No wonder piracy is happening.

[reachnet]

Who ******* cares ???
They're just a faceless bereaucratic money-machine.
Satan put em' on this planet to **** over everyone else.
Enough of this Sith shit.
"I'll never turn to the dark-side." You've failed your Highness - I'm a Jedi like my father before me".
Where my ******* Linux ! ;)

[TheFoX]

Many computer suppliers are still offering XP as an alternative to Vista, for those that want it.

The real reason for the failure is probably linked to the negative press Vista has received. DRM and Microsofts own control system, which means that they, not the user, decides what can and cannot be run, is probably the biggest deciding factor for most. No one would wish to install software, or hardware, only for Vista to refuse to service it.

If I install hardware, and the drivers, I don't mind Windows telling me that it isn't certified, but to refuse to run it completely takes away my choice. The even bigger bugbear for me is that Microsoft could disable any bit of hardware globally, and my graphics card could stop working instantly. I would prefer that choice to be mine, and not someone somewhere who's main aim is to drive up profits...

[digmen1]

And if I want to buy a full copy (not an upgrade) of Vista Ultimate its about the same price as a brand new PC.

That is ridiclous !

But I do feel genueinly sorry for Microsoft because people will try to get something for nothing even if the retail price is only a few dollars.

Regards

Digby
NZ

[Hairbautt]

I think that XP is still better than Vista right now and may always be. We'll see...
Compatibility. COMPATIBILITY, that is all I care about (as a consumer); which is getting harder and harder for all the advances in hardware & software.

Eventually, compatibility will essentially be lost into another 'generation of technology', so to speak. I remember reading how Vista is bloated full of code to, at least, maintain a degree of compatibility.

M$ codename Vienna, I think IMO (too early to tell really), will be...well...completely new. Completely Next-Gen, I hope.

I kinda sympathize with M$ tho', because it's hard to advance the overall standard of technology. :dabs:

[mr. nails]

i didn't pirate vista. i just have a lifetime trial. :)

[SkitzAnimator]

Oh piracy... and oh Microsoft.

[0gbqf3v02]

Yea...go ahead - blame piracy for everything. -____-

[kabloomz]

Many of the machines out there may not meet the requirements and cost to upgrade + Vista = no sale.

Overhyped OS for no reason... so let's blame piracy so stockholders could feel a lil more assured...

[Skiz]

I'm with Harry - I'm too afraid that I will have compatibility issues if I install Vista.

i think the major reason for slow sales though is people say, "Why do I need Vista? What is it going to do that my PC doesn't already? Meh."

[BawA]

i don't know how the heck they blame piracy for their sale reduction, vista is not even near cracked, those who got to run vista without paying for it(which are very few) had to go throu lots of tricks which are beyond average PC users capability unlike XP which were Pre-Cracked
IMO there are some crystal clear reasons which are causing Vista's poor sell out, features like verifying every god damn action you take on windows so it can be done which only slows down it and nothing else. they say these are done to prevent hackers/virus's from over taking, well i never do read these warning when am sure about what am going to run which i've gotten from trusted source like M$ and am educated enough not to get my cracks from some Mal ware sites and am god damn sure even fools who don't know these much wont pay attention or care for these warning either even if it was really a Miscellaneous script.
i think in our media and IT world piracy is what gets people talking at the 1st place. XP got that much attention not because MS's advertising but because some guy got it before it hit the market and manipulated it which became main story of Television and got every bodies attention of a new windows arrival, personally i got aware of XP by a pirated XP disc in my friends hand.
MS harden the job in vista for hackers so much that they forgot to leave some freedom for their USERS.

[totalwar]

Well I was going to get Vsta but it way to much money even with the upgrade from xp.What really don't like is having to pay double what they do for it in the states.

[killuminati96]

They wasn't kidding about cracking down on piracy. The next day from reading this I had an update for WGA. :cry:

[Hairbautt]

They wasn't kidding about cracking down on piracy. The next day from reading this I had an update for WGA. :cry:
So did I :lol:, but I'm Genuine. :D

[Barbarossa]

The thing is, alot of people will have to upgrade their PC's to even use Vista.


So if you're going to buy a top-end PC in order to run Vista adequately, why not buy a top-end PC and run XP on it, which will probably run like shit off a shovel? :blink:



I want my operating system to operate my system, not take over everything completely and bloatedly. This is something that microsoft have repeatedly failed to understand. :frusty:

[Cheese]

Fuck 'em. They're trying to make us pay in £'s what the 'merkins pay in $'s for Vista, that's like charging us double ffs. With Google looking to take a bite out of Microsoft's Office profits(another rip-off application) as well I hope Microsoft have a very bad year(s).

[Colt Seevers]

It's total pish flaps.

I only want DX10 lushness for future gaming, not the mega shitty Vista OS that comes spot welded to it.

[grchl3]

Just like many others, I've been sticking with Windows because of its compatibility. I groaned and moaned at all the security issues but I applied all the patches and installed 3rd party software like antivirus when I had to and continued to use windows because it worked with the hardware and software I had. Now Redmond has the brilliant idea to throw compatibility out the window just so it can get into bed with DRM, all the while keeping windows as insecure as it ever was. Actually Vista most likely is and will continue in the foreseesable future to be less secure than XP. And what is with the feeble attempt to make Vista more secure by overwhelming the user with warning messages. Wasn't that the problem with IE for so many years. A popup would warn users they were about to download some malware and the user would hurriedly click away at yes just to get on with surfing. So if that scenario led us to the situation today where many users systems are completely bogged down with spyware and malware, how is this overload of warning messages going to secure Vista? And after all this M$ is now surprised at lackluster sales? It'd be funny if it wasn't all so sad.