Vista goes gangbusters

[Alpine]

40 mil and counting


Windows Vista is out-shipping Windows XP, with 40 million copies hitting the streets so far, Bill Gates told hardware engineers today.

Opening Microsoft's annual Windows Hardware and Engineering Conference (WinHEC) extravaganza in Los Angeles, Gates claimed Windows Vista is shipping twice as fast as Windows XP, the operating system's predecessor.

According to Gates, Windows Vista Ultimate accounts for 78 per cent of sales.

He has a strong interest in evangelizing Windows Vista at WinHEC, where the audience is responsible for getting Microsoft's software to work with the metal. There is lingering criticism, even among some Microsoft's executives, over lack of driver support for Windows Vista with PCs and other hardware.

And the consensus is that OEMs and channel partners are snapping up all those Windows Vista licenses to slap on the PCs they sell, rather than corporates making the switch from XP.. Also, according to analysts, an early 2007 surge in sales of PCs running Windows Vista was assisted by channel companies shrewdly choking off supplies of older Windows XP machines in the run-up to Windows Vista's release.

Moving onto other business, Gates used WinHEC to announce expanded hardware and software partnerships for the up-coming Windows Home Server, Microsoft's first server operating system targeting consumers. With Hewlett-Packard already in the bag, Gates said Gateway, LacIE and Medion also planned hardware for Windows Home Server. Also announced was a version for custom system builders, and application support from eight software vendors.

Announced in January, Windows Home Server enables consumers to store, back up and share digital media across home networks and PCs.

The REGister