Posts Tagged ‘Vista’
Microsoft, Software, Vista, Windows 7
In General on Wednesday, 1 July 2009 at 14:08
It used to be a Service Pack release got some press. After all, you’re fixing bugs, tightening security, maybe even adding minor enhancements. But Microsoft’s release of SP2 for Vista has not been touted much out of Redmond.
I almost feel sorry for Microsoft. The “V” word is such poison they can’t use it in their ads, don’t speak much about it in public, and now don’t even say much when they’ve released an SP that will likely continue to make Vista better than its public perception. But perception is everything, and there’s nothing Microsoft can release to fix that… Read the rest of this entry »
Security, Vista
In General on Wednesday, 10 June 2009 at 11:47
In a quick blurb on the Windows IT Pro site, Paul Thurrott states that Microsoft is sending a record number of security fixes this month. OK, fine, that’s probably a good piece of information for the “Windows IT Pros” the site is there to serve.
But we also get this little bit:
Although the volume of fixes Microsoft announced is reminiscent of what Mac OS X users face from Apple on a far more haphazard schedule
Sure, Paul. Whatever. You know what? The first commenter on your post is on to something. It seems kind of a “jacka$$” thing to say. I’m not sure how that’s supposed to serve the “Pros” you’re ostensibly speaking to.
Microsoft, Software, Upgrade, Vista, Windows 7, XP
In General on Friday, 5 June 2009 at 18:50
A lot is being made of the leaked Best Buy memo that outlines Microsoft’s Windows 7 upgrade program. It looks very good, but some of the story doesn’t seem to be getting out, so I’ll add my $.02.
Keep in mind that the Best Buy memo has not been confirmed. I think it’s reasonable, so I’m proceeding from the notion it does in fact outline some of Microsoft’s plans for Windows 7 upgrades.
Hardware, Microsoft, Vista
In General on Monday, 6 April 2009 at 23:27
The latest Laptop Hunter ad is out, and it went where it had no business going. The first ad featured Lauren, and setting aside that she was cute, the best thing about her was that she was enthusiastic and a non-techie. Her purchase was as much emotional as anything else. While I’d disagree with that kind of computer purchasing logic, there’s a certain truth to it.
Giampaulo: Technically Impaired
The star of the new ad, Giampaulo, claims to be “technically savvy,” and then spends the rest of ad proving he’s not. Apparently, his (and Microsoft’s) definition of “technically savvy” means buying a machine with Windows on it. By that definition, Lauren was “technically savvy” as well…
Read the rest of this article on theAppleBlog >>
Apple, Hardware, Microsoft, Vista
In General on Friday, 27 March 2009 at 11:44
Have you seen the ad yet? Lauren only has to find a laptop computer with a 17-inch screen for under a grand and she gets to keep it.
Lauren is a redhead. Long, thick, curly, lovely red hair. Did I mention redheads rule? Well, they do. Curse you, Microsoft, for using Lauren in this ad. Her engaging personality and infectious enthusiasm blinded me, and I eagerly sought the HP web site to pick up that great 17-inch laptop. After all, if it’s good enough for Lauren…
Read the rest of this article on theAppleBlog >>
Ads, Microsoft, Software, Vista
In General on Tuesday, 17 February 2009 at 13:48
Joe Wilcox has an article on Microsoft Watch about Microsoft’s new ads with kids. The series is called The Rookies, and there’s a second spot up.
Joe is less impressed with the second spot than the first, but goes on to explain how these ads have potential, Microsoft needs more of them (I’m sure more are coming), the kid should get an ‘A’ on the project, etc.
That’s all nice, but it misses an awkward thing about this whole series…
Read the rest of this article on theAppleBlog >>
Microsoft, Software, Vista, Windows 7
In General on Thursday, 5 February 2009 at 10:52
Microsoft has made public their “edition strategy” (my term, not theirs) for Windows 7. While there are still too many editions, at least they make a little more sense, and offer a better overall choice, than what Vista offered.
Paul Thurrott has a write-up on the editions at his Super Site for Windows. He was “critical” of Microsoft for their edition strategy for Vista, and is now a major cheerleader for 7’s set of editions. He believes Microsoft has really simplified things. Lost on Paul is that when a 2,000+ word article is required to outline the various editions, it’s not simple. There are too many versions, but I’ll get to that shortly.
Read the rest of this article on theAppleBlog >>
Apple, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Software, Vista
In General on Friday, 26 December 2008 at 16:16
In a previous article I discussed Apple’s approach to cloning and how far they should go in shutting down that business. This led to the question “why can’t I just buy Mac OS X and install it on any hardware I want?”, which led to a pretty typical answer that the boxed OS X is sold as an upgrade, not a new (or full) license. This answer is sometimes challenged, and brings up the idea of what an “upgrade” is in the Mac world as opposed to Microsoft.
This is not an Apple vs. Microsoft argument. It simply attempts to outline the difference in each one’s approach to OS sales, and why each uses the sales model it does. Rather than claim one is “right”, I believe each is right for the business model it supports.
Read the rest of this article on theAppleBlog >>
Mac OS X, Microsoft, Vista, Windows
In General on Tuesday, 4 November 2008 at 14:12
Fortune’s Philip Elmer-DeWitt comments on the latest Internet market share numbers from Net Applications. Seems Vista got a bump in October while the Mac went down, and he’s curious as to why.
Read the rest of this article on theAppleBlog >>
Microsoft, Software, Vista, Windows 7
In General on Monday, 27 October 2008 at 15:55
When Bill Gates mentioned in January, rather arbitrarily, that Windows 7 may ship “next year”, a general consensus was that a more reasonable delivery would be 2010. With that in mind, many expected it would then “slip” to 2011, as Microsoft’s deadlines are known to do.
I was, and have been, always of the opinion that Microsoft needed it sooner. I wasn’t alonein this thinking among some of the Microsoft observers at the time, though we felt so for different reasons.
Read the rest of this article on theAppleBlog >>
Microsoft, Vista
In General on Friday, 19 September 2008 at 22:33
Who would’ve thought Microsoft would use such symbolism? I guess when you cough up $300 million for an ad campaign you really get what you pay for.
Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft, Software, Vista
In General on Friday, 25 July 2008 at 11:03
Microsoft, Software, Vista
In General on Tuesday, 22 July 2008 at 22:10
Not sure what to make of Microsoft’s new ad strategy.
I do know one thing: They should have used a better analogy. This one’s too easy to make fun of. For example, I see it more like this:
Apple, Linux, Mac OS X, Vista
In General on Wednesday, 16 April 2008 at 22:35
There’s an article on Roughly Drafted about a pilot program at IBM “designed to study the possibility of moving significant numbers of employees to the Mac platform.”
The article is a worthwhile read, and includes comments from users in the program, and what IBM’s next steps will be.
What I’m writing about is not RD’s article, or even the program itself, but rather a comment made by a user in the program:
Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft, Software, Vista, Windows 7
In General on Friday, 4 April 2008 at 14:42
Bill Gates says Windows 7 may be released “sometime in the next year”.
Of course it will! I mean, at the very least, they’ll say it will. I wrote this before. Mind you, whether it’s actually delivered by the end of 2009 is highly debatable.
The fact is Vista stinks, and they have to wash the taste out of everyone’s mouth as soon as possible. Talking about Windows 7 is all they have, and 2009 sounds a whole lot better than 2010.
Apple, Hardware, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Software, Vista
In General on Wednesday, 2 April 2008 at 22:21
Bear with me a bit as I lead into what gives this article its title.
If you check my About page, you’ll see that since August of last year I’ve switched my household entirely to Apple. A 24-inch iMac Extreme, a 2.2 GHz MacBook, a Time Capsule 500GB, an Airport Express, and just last week an iPod touch.
In short, I spent a reasonable chunk of change, but it was time for new computers and I wanted to upgrade to “n” networking, etc. The time was right and I went back to Apple after many years of them, frankly, not making a computer I wanted.
Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft, Software, Vista, XP
In General on Thursday, 27 March 2008 at 14:30
The Windows SuperSite, in an article about Windows XP SP3 being “good enough”, discusses the “Windows XP and the Vista conundrum“:
I mean, imagine a case in which customers were allowed to choose between a previous generation Toyota Camry and the all-new, designed-from-the-ground-up 2008 model, and the customers actually chose the old version by a roughly 2-to-1 margin, despite the fact that the price hadn’t changed at all?
Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft, Software, Vista, Vista SP1
In General on Friday, 21 March 2008 at 10:28
See this from Information Week:
The affected chipset is Intel’s 945G Express series, which is used in computers from virtually all major system vendors. It’s also found on standalone motherboards sold by Asus. The 945G Express chipset driver versions between numbers 7.14.10.1322 and 7.14.10.1403 won’t work with Vista SP1, according to Microsoft…
Read the rest of this entry »
Apple, FUD, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Software, Vista
In Uncategorized on Monday, 25 February 2008 at 23:03
[UPDATE:] The original headline was “John Dvorak Writing For Windows SuperSite?”. Reader Scott took me to task for using a headline and premise that substitutes John’s work for Paul’s. His comment struck me, and I realized he was right. My critique of Paul’s post is still 100% valid, but the over-the-top headline and two-sentence opening have been struck. Also, my apologies to both John Dvorak and Paul Thurrott for the mis-characterization.
There’s a new article post on Paul’s SuperSite Blog for Windows attempting to explain Mac fanatics. Since it’s the usual Dvorak drivel I won’t link to it.
Problem is, I don’t see John’s name anywhere on it. Yet it fits his M.O. to a tee, so maybe he’s ghostwriting for Paul Thurrott?
Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft, Software, Vista, Vista SP1
In Uncategorized on Sunday, 24 February 2008 at 23:28
Apple, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Software, Vista
In Uncategorized on Monday, 11 February 2008 at 23:24
Microsoft, Vista, Windows 7
In General on Monday, 28 January 2008 at 23:36
Apple, FUD, Linux, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Security, Software, Vista
In Uncategorized on Thursday, 24 January 2008 at 11:40
Apple, Hardware, laptop, Mac, Macbook, MacBook Air, Microsoft, notebook, Sony Vaio, sub notebook, Vista
In General on Wednesday, 23 January 2008 at 23:16
There’s been so much written about the MacBook Air since it was introduced that you can’t swing a dead cat on the Internet without running into some commentary on it.
A lot of what’s written is pretty silly. Seems like only now are some people getting a handle on its dimensions, etc. that should have been obvious from day 1.
Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft, Software, Vista, XP
In Uncategorized on Sunday, 20 January 2008 at 23:13
Apple, Hardware, iPhone, Microsoft, tech headlines, Universal, verizon voyager, Vista, Zune
In General on Saturday, 12 January 2008 at 0:20
Let’s face it, next week we’ll all be discussing Macworld news, so I thought I’d review some tech headlines from the last few days and get them out of my system before the real fun begins next week…
Read the rest of this entry »
FUD, Microsoft, Software, Vista
In Uncategorized on Monday, 7 January 2008 at 0:01
Joe Wilcox of Microsoft Watch was at least decent enough to correct Bill Gates’ statement during his keynote Sunday night at CES about 100 million people actually using Vista:
“We have 100 million people using Vista now,” Gates told the capacity crowd in Las Vegas this evening. Maybe the user number was wishful thinking on the part of Gates. Microsoft’s press release refers to the more believable number of 100 million licenses sold.
Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft, Vista
In Uncategorized on Friday, 4 January 2008 at 11:19
There is a great article on Blackfriars’ Marketing on this topic.
It’s been known for a long time that Windows Vista has DRM built-in that could shutdown your media if it felt something wasn’t “right”. Now that someone has bumped up against this wall, it’s almost frightening to see it in action.
The money quote from Blackfriars’:
Technology vendors need to remember a simple rule: the people who pay them for their products are their customers, not hardware OEMs, Hollywood studios, or music labels. Tech vendors who ignore that rule — no matter how big they are — risk the future of their business. It’s that simple.
I wouldn’t hold my breath for Microsoft learning that lesson anytime soon.
FUD, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Software, Thud, Vista
In Uncategorized on Friday, 14 December 2007 at 12:06
Joe Wilcox of Microsoft Watch took time off from his recent Apple-bashing to reflect on Vista. Joe previously stated that Vista is fine now; the problems you read about were early issues that have been fixed. But he provides no details for this assertion, and given the continued flow of negative Vista press it seems no one else received the “fixes” Joe imagined. Still, Mary Jo Foley, Paul Thurrott, and others jumped on the bandwagon to declare Leopard the new Vista, though few actually believed the story.
Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft, Software, Vista
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 12 December 2007 at 11:52
From Windows IT Pro: “Will XP SP3 Slow Your Migration to Vista?”
Um, no. Only Vista will slow down my migration to Vista.
Yes, I know Joe Wilcox and a few others are waging a campaign that says all Vista problems were from months ago, and since then they’ve all been fixed. But that’s not true, as more new articles attest:
I’m not sure exactly when Vista’s issues were supposed to have been fixed (Joe & Co. never say), but from all the recent press it’s no better than it was when released to the public 10 months ago.
FUD, iTunes, iWork, Kindle, Mac OS X, Media, Microsoft, Microsoft Office, Music, Nokia, Software, Thud, Universal, Vista
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 5 December 2007 at 13:18
Microsoft, Software, Vista
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 14 November 2007 at 21:55
Isn’t it amazing how a Microsoft devotee on ZDNet can tout an industry report with one headline, whereas a person who doesn’t feed off the Microsoft teat can read the report’s summary and provide another, more revealing, headline?
Read the rest of this entry »
Apple, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Software, Vista
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 7 November 2007 at 21:30
It’s amazing the amount of fecal matter the usual suspects are shoveling onto the Leopard FUD pile. They’re suffering from memory loss as well.
Read the rest of this entry »
Apple, Hardware, Microsoft, Thud, Vista
In Uncategorized on Monday, 5 November 2007 at 21:03
Apple, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Software, Vista
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 31 October 2007 at 20:29
Microsoft, Software, Vista
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 31 October 2007 at 0:35
Apple, Greenpeace, iPhone, Microsoft, Nokia, Universal, Vista
In General on Saturday, 20 October 2007 at 12:32
Let’s face it, the big news for Apple is next week with their quarterly earning call on Monday and Leopard release on Friday. Still, there was a lot of interesting stuff this week to comment on…
Read the rest of this entry »
Apple, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Software, Vista
In Uncategorized on Friday, 19 October 2007 at 21:04
InfoWorld published an article on Mac OS X Leopard, calling it “a beautiful upgrade.” What I really like about their take on Leopard is that it doesn’t just spend a few paragraphs re-hashing the “obvious” features, but rather dwells more on the overall operating system and its beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep quality:
Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft, Software, Vista
In Uncategorized on Friday, 28 September 2007 at 18:39
FUD, iTunes, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Thud, Vista
In Uncategorized on Saturday, 1 September 2007 at 12:27
On Fridays, Paul Thurrott typically uses his Internet Nexus site to take quick shots (mostly at Apple) without actually having to write much. He does so by tossing snarky comments at headlines, apparently thinking because the word “fun” is in the headline it’s OK. Normally this is no big deal, but this week’s edition is especially egregious:
Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft, Thud, Vista
In Uncategorized on Friday, 31 August 2007 at 16:40
I discussed Vista’s announced first Service pack in an earlier post. Paul Thurrott has also commented on SP1 on his Internet Nexus site. In it he references his lengthy article on his SuperSite for Windows. Seems to me if a service pack requires that much explanation as to why it’s not really a big deal, it is a big deal.
Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft, Vista
In Uncategorized on Thursday, 30 August 2007 at 16:30
Hardware, Humor, Mac OS X, Vista
In Uncategorized on Tuesday, 14 August 2007 at 14:16
At last! Something that will make a PC as good as a Mac on the inside.
Now if we can only get some designers to perform similar magic on the outside…
Mac, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Vista
In General on Tuesday, 14 August 2007 at 13:43
Linux, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Security, Vista
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 8 August 2007 at 23:07
I wrote about Microsoft’s latest security ploy last month (link at the end of this article). This is a “prequel” to that piece…
For the six years prior to January of this year, these were the perceptions about Microsoft Windows’ security:
1) It is weak.
2) XP SP2 is going to fix it.
3) It is weak.
4) Internet Explorer 7.0 is going to fix it.
5) It is weak.
6) Vista is going to fix it.
Those are simple, but they sum it up well.
Read the rest of this entry »
Apple, Hardware, Mac, Vista
In General on Tuesday, 7 August 2007 at 23:46
In a previous post I discussed the lower price of a high-end iMac (the 24″ model), and that I actually bought one.
For those of you who may want to regale me with tales of much cheaper comparable PCs, I priced a similar system at Dell for comparison.
Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft, Software, Vista
In Uncategorized on Monday, 6 August 2007 at 23:04
To set the stage for this article, consider the following:
From the above it doesn’t take a genius to see that Microsoft is trying hard to get a Microsoft OS, any Microsoft OS, on PCs in China. My question is simply this: Why?
Read the rest of this entry »
Hardware, Microsoft, Vista
In Uncategorized on Thursday, 26 July 2007 at 11:53
See what channel-stuffing gets you?
MacNN reports that, according to Reuters, Microsoft announced at their annual meeting with financial analysts that Vista had sold 60 million copies. MacNN then goes on to state the following:
“The announcement appears to confirm a permanent slowdown in Vista sales, which ran to 20 million in the first month, but were halved for both March and April.”
No. While a slowdown is certainly possible (what with PC makers offering XP as a substitute for Vista, and Dell even offering Linux), what this really shows is that Microsoft’s initial sales figure of 20 million was a fabrication in the first place. They had to halve the next few months’ numbers in order to clear out the channel-stuffing they did to get that initial 20 million.
I don’t know why Microsoft doesn’t understand that this practice provides only a short-term “boost,” and always catches up to you eventually, making things look worse. Didn’t they learn that with the Xbox? I guess not.
Apple, Linux, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Vista
In Uncategorized on Monday, 23 July 2007 at 23:15
Microsoft, Vista
In Uncategorized on Monday, 23 July 2007 at 9:22
Microsoft, Vista
In Uncategorized on Monday, 16 July 2007 at 23:01
Robert McLaws on WindowsNow posted a response to an AP story about Vista users still being dissatisfied after six months.
In a nutshell, he says that Vista doesn’t suck.
I guess.
As you read it, you see that it isn’t really much of an endorsement. Especially not for the casual computer user (or even the enthusiast). Below are quotes from the post along with what they appear to really mean.
Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft, Vista
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 20 June 2007 at 13:23
Microsoft has implemented a new approach to getting Windows XP users to move to Vista: pleading. With there being no consensus on Vista, especially in comparison with Mac OS X, the scuttlebutt has been to at least wait until SP1 is released before upgrading to it.
Since SP1 is not slated until the last half of the year (and maybe not even by then), clearly MS doesn’t want anyone to wait.
Read the rest of this entry »
Apple, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Software, Vista, ZDNet
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 13 June 2007 at 19:45
In a previous post I wrote about a horrendous article on ZDNet saying they believed Apple’s Leopard operating system looks like Vista. The article was filled with such misinformation and outright ridiculous statements that most who commented or blogged on the topic called the author on it, as you might expect.
Read the rest of this entry »
Apple, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Vista
In Uncategorized on Tuesday, 12 June 2007 at 14:19
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