Windows Vista: Early reactions
Posted 8 March 2007 at 9:50AM by Simon Dickson in IT systems and support
Writing on the BBC News website, business editor Tim Weber tells a tale of woe trying to upgrade his four year old PC from Windows XP. Having already shelled out for a new sound card, a new graphics card, and a chunk of extra memory, he's facing the prospect of buying a new webcam and PDA, because Vista just doesn't like what he already has. His conclusion, perhaps understandably, isn't positive:
"So would I do it again? The answer is no. Do what I originally had planned to do. Wait for half a year until the driver issues are settled and then buy a new PC. You will probably enjoy Vista, but there's little reason to do it the hard way."
It's a conclusion echoed by Computing Which? magazine, which warns readers off upgrading just yet. According to editor Abigail Waraker, quoted by Netimperative:
"Based on the experience of our testers there's no need to rush out to replace Windows XP. To save time and money, we'd advise consumers to wait a few months until Vista beds down before upgrading to Vista or considering replacing their PC."
And now Vista - and specifically, its pricing in the UK - is the latest subject of a petition to the Prime Minister. Admittedly it's still far behind the 1.7 million people opposed to road pricing, but people are already complaining in their thousands, and the closing date isn't until 20 April. Petition creator Paul Milne writes:
"In the UK a full copy of Vista Ultimate would cost you £350, in the US it would cost you £195. The US version of Vista is exactly the same as the UK version. There is no difference. Therefore I can see no reason for there to be such a huge difference in prices between the UK and the US other than Microsoft's belief that the UK customers will pay more than their US counterparts. I ask people to sign this petition in the hope that the Prime Minister will bring pressure to bear on Microsoft over their pricing as it is my belief they are simply overcharging the people of the UK and therefore are ripping us off."
If you're keen to start playing with Vista, the most cost-effective - but probably the least environmentally friendly - way is to buy a brand new PC. Complete systems are starting to appear on the market, with the Home Premium version pre-installed, at well under £400 - as you'll see over at our good friends dabs.com.
Tags: Microsoft, Windows Vista
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