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Vista Sees Early Sales Surge
There isn't much data yet on early sales of Windows Vista, but from what there is it appears that the new system is off and running.
Competitive consulting and market research firm Current Analysis reports that sales of new PCs during the week ended February 3 jumped by 173 percent over the previous week. Additionally, sales were up 67 percent year-over-year from the same week a year ago.
Interestingly, though not particularly surprisingly, sales of new PCs were off in the five weeks leading up to first consumer availability on January 30. That slump was not only driven by consumers waiting for Vista, but also because OEMs and retailers deliberately reduced stocks of PCs shipping with Windows XP in advance of Vista's commercial debut, according to Current Analysis' report.
By comparison, sales of new PCs the week ending January 27, 2007 were down nearly 20 percent over the same period a year earlier. The hottest sellers? Fifty nine percent of desktop purchasers and 76 percent of notebook buyers chose Vista Home Premium.
Of course, observers caution that there really isn't enough data available to indicate sales trends yet, although it appears clear that it will be a blockbuster for Microsoft and its OEM partners.
Indeed, the consumer release of Vista was just two weeks ago, although corporate release was two and a half months ago on Nov. 30, 2006.
About the Author
Stuart J. Johnston has covered technology, especially Microsoft, since February 1988 for InfoWorld, Computerworld, Information Week, and PC World, as well as for Enterprise Developer, XML & Web Services, and .NET magazines.