Microsoft Not Winning the Right Hearts and Minds with Windows 7

While everywhere we look, people are happily saying that they are ‘pleased as punch’ to be upgrading to Windows 7, either from Windows Vista or Windows XP, a new survey states that nearly half of businesses will not upgrade.

The IT people in business, by an large, remain unconvinced of he need to update, and many will do so simply through the replacement of aged hardware. In a citation by Jason Hiner, on ZDNet, 43% of the IT departments surveyed simply will not move from Windows XP.

The amazing thing the survey reveals is that a full 5% of those businesses are planning a move to Linux. To my way of thinking, this is huge, and Microsoft, always a company to have the siege mentality, should be having fits right about now.

Of the businesses stating that migration to Windows 7 is in the cards, the reasons are not any different than you might imagine. When asked the question, just this way, “What is your operating system migration time frame?”, the percentages stating change will only come when nothing else is possible, is 52%. Those switching in less than a year is at 8%. This is not the kind of survey Microsoft wants to see. When posed the question, “What is the main reason for delaying the operating system migration?”, the answer is “XP is perfectly fine, we are waiting for a reason to make the change”, for 63% of the respondents.

Looking at the various charts (which I suggest you do, if only to see that I in no way am exaggerating this), it becomes apparent that Microsoft has not won over the section of the populace it most needs to. Look for some amazing deals to begin soon, probably put forth as discounts on hardware on top of free upgrades to Windows 7, as a coordinated effort between Microsoft and OEMs.

For those like me, who will only upgrade when necessary, this survey shows you will be in good company, and not out in the cold, as was predicted by some of the media. As this pertains to me, I will get one copy of Windows 7, and learn it, so as to be able to work on customer’s machines, but the remainder of my machines will continue on Windows XP, or possibly Vista.

It does mean that drivers for Windows XP should not be a problem for hardware upgraded piecemeal, which might be a large proportion of upgrades for many.

End of life for XP? Not any time soon. Maybe Darth Ballmer does have a good reason to pursue the Bing thing.

Perhaps Mr. Ballmer consulted Bing on the question, and freaked when he got the answer!

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