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<img width="100" height="73" border="0" src="http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/images/winvista_v_thumb_6_1.jpg" title="Winvista_v_thumb_6_1" alt="Winvista_v_thumb_6_1" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px 5px; float: right;" />What the heck is going on? Microsoft delivers the first new operating system in five years and the tech community seems to be doing a collective yawn. Our own Robert Lemos [reports][1] on empty stores on the East Coast, blogger Niall Kennedy [says][2] no one lined up in San Francisco, Gizmodo [calls][3] the release party "a PowerPoint presentation in the flesh" (which can't be good) and ZDNet blogger Mary Jo Coley [reports][4] that while there was a crowd at the Best Buy store on Fifth Avenue and 44th Street in Manhattan, "the vast majority in attendance seemed to be TV crews, reporters and Microsoft PR people."
I feel Microsoft's pain. I tried to throw a party once last summer and everyone said, "oh yeah, sounds great" we'll be there and then come show time it was me and two other people working our way through a really large bowl of sangria.
I my case it worked out for the best, but this is the biggest thing likely to come out of Redmond for years. Even the Zune looks like a highly anticipated release next to this, and Windows 95 certainly drew in the crowds, but has the shine gone out the release party?
Apple still manages to draw pretty heavy for their releases, and despite a lukewarm reaction to Vista, I expected a little more hoopla for the first new version of Windows in five years.
I have a theory on this lackluster launch: no one gets excited about work. For the average person computers, software and operating systems represent something they use at work. Sure they probably have one at home too, but Microsoft's true test of Vista is not really the consumer, it's businesses.
Frankly the amount of enthusiasm the Apple faithful manage to generate for even the most of lackluster of products makes me nervous, so while on one hand I'm surprised at the lack of enthusiasm for Vista, I also can't help thinking it's a good thing. Perhaps the world is right, there's nothing exciting about a new operating system -- maybe instead of lining up for Vista, everyone is out strolling through a park with a loved one in hand.
[1]: http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,72601-0.html "Vista Launch a Late-Night Yawn"
[2]: http://www.niallkennedy.com/blog/archives/2007/01/windows-vista-launch-san-francisco.html "No one is lining up for Windows Vista in San Francisco"
[3]: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/software/vista-launch-party-schwag-bag-add-it-up-232387.php "Lackluster Vista Party"
[4]: http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=227 "Vista Launch"
[5]: http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=technologyNews&storyID=2007-01-30T053604Z_01_N29314484_RTRUKOC_0_US-MICROSOFT-VISTA-ADOPTION.xml&WTmodLoc=TechNewsHome_C2_technologyNews-7 "Vista is ready for consumers but businesses key"
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