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Aug

26

Mojave: The Experiment Continues…

Category: Vista News | Leave a Comment

I’m posting this on behalf of my colleague David Webster:

I’m David Webster –the guy “deep in the ranks” who dreamed up the Mojave Experiment. Today we updated the website with a few new videos, including sharing with you the fiercely debated demos that the participants were shown.  We encourage everyone to take a look at the videos, ask questions or air concerns (or even compliments). First I wanted to provide some context and clarify a few things.


It’s been a couple weeks since we launched the Mojave Experiment, and the reaction in the blogosphere has been fascinating to watch. You should see my inbox - some of you really liked how the experiment helped you say “I told you so” to haters who’d just jumped on the bandwagon without trying for themselves. Others thought it was interesting but were skeptical about the validity of the project’s methodology, and others still questioned our sanity (not the first time) for doing the experiment in the first place. There were lots of questions - some wondered if we rigged the results, cherry picked videos or even brought in actors to pose as consumers.  Fair enough. You should be skeptical. After all, the basic message of the Mojave Experiment is decide for yourself.  In that spirit, don’t take my word for it either.  Go ahead and check out the new site for answers to the most frequent questions we got over the last few weeks.


We’ve also heard from supporters loud and clear that we needed to do more marketing around Windows Vista to regular users, and that is exactly what we are doing with the Mojave Experiment. As we have discussed, we’re working to get the Mojave message out to consumers through website updates, retail activities and ads on cable stations. However, I do want to stress that while the Mojave Experiment is part of Microsoft’s broader effort to talk about the value of Windows Vista, it is separate from the Crispin, Porter & Bogusky campaign you may have heard about in recent weeks. Stay tuned for more details on that one…for now I’m just here to discuss Mojave.


Well, here’s why we went ahead with Mojave in the first place.


It should surprise no one that we believe Windows Vista today is a great product; it may surprise some that most current Windows Vista customers agree. In fact, we researched satisfaction levels among existing Windows Vista customers - the survey found that nearly 9 of 10 (i.e. 89%) of customers are either satisfied or very satisfied with their Windows Vista experience. And, satisfaction is increasing over time - customer sat level is 92% satisfied/very satisfied among those who bought Windows Vista during the last 6 months. More than 180 million Windows Vista licenses have been sold (as of June 30, 2008), and, as analysts have reported, corporate adoption rates are consistent with Windows XP rates in similar timeframes. So looking strictly at customer satisfaction and sales data, things are going very well for Windows Vista.


At the same time, we recognize that noise in the market created by a vocal minority can discourage regular people from trying the product for themselves. We’re confident these people would find a lot to like about Windows Vista if they spent even 5-10 minutes taking a closer look. We wanted to confirm that hypothesis and see what happens when people get a second chance to make a first impression.


This led to the idea that led to the test that turned into the Mojave Experiment. And the hypothesis was confirmed when across the board, participants concluded that they needed to take another look before simply accepting what they’d heard. In fact, we had plans for a fun section of the site that highlighted any test subjects who didn’t change their minds about Windows Vista. But we didn’t get any.


The Windows Vista operating system delivered big changes in security, performance and graphics capabilities. These were long-term changes designed to bring customers forward and they are paying off, but it’s true they also created near-term pain for customers immediately following launch - notably, some applications and devices didn’t work (or work well) on Windows Vista. The product has come a long way since then. We and our partners have worked extremely hard to fix incompatibilities and optimize drivers for increased performance and stability. We shipped SP1 and countless other Windows Updates that have significantly improved Windows Vista over the last 18 months.


Again, we know from lots of user and non-user data that the closer they look the more they will like it. We just needed to give them a reason to take another look.


For a breakdown of the mechanics and results or just to see what’s new, visit: http://www.mojaveexperiment.com/

Aug

25

Windows Vista Adoption Keeps Growing

Category: Vista News | Leave a Comment

There’s been a steady amount of buzz around the ‘net recently about Windows Vista adoption, sparked by a blog post last week questioning Windows Vista adoption rates and most recently by some great number crunching by Computerworld. In light of the various claims, I thought I would offer up some perspective on Windows Vista deployment numbers … and what experienced industry watchers, like Forrester and CDW, are saying about Windows Vista.

First, you’ve heard us say before that we’ve sold more than 180 million Windows Vista licenses (40 million of those in the last quarter alone) and that major enterprises like Continental Airlines, the United States Air Force, Virgin Megastores, Charter, Avanade, Eastman Chemical and PPG are deploying seats by the thousands (and in some cases by the tens of thousands).  That’s still true. You can read about these and other Windows Vista deployments at Microsoft.com/casestudies.


Consistent with findings from other reputable sources, Forrester Research just published a new report on enterprise OS adoption. According to the abstract: “Forrester’s month-on-month study of more than 50,000 of our clients’ OS preferences confirmed that users are on track with enterprises’ initial Windows Vista deployment plans. IT operations folks are at a critical inflection point and should deploy Windows Vista to: 1) stay current with Microsoft’s and independent software vendors’ (ISVs’) support life cycles; 2) help minimize today’s security, management, and productivity challenges; and 3) better position your business to eventually embrace “Windows 7,” because Windows Vista investments will ultimately pay off with better compatibility for this next release.” Even the Wall Street Journal is picking up on this and in his blog post over the weekend, Ben Worthen includes some nuggets from the report like: “between October 2007 and June 2008 the percentage of visitors running Vista climbed from 5% to 8.8%.” Ben also says that “it’s pretty safe to assume that the operating system’s image problems with the general public will soon be a thing of the past.”


What about the guys on the ground who are selling, installing and implementing Windows Vista? Not surprisingly, they’re seeing growing demand too. For example, CDW, one of the nation’s largest technology resellers and system integrators, found in their third Windows Vista Tracking Poll that Windows Vista is “gaining traction” in the business market, with 48 percent of respondents saying their organization is using or evaluating Windows Vista. That compares with 29 percent in CDW’s February 2007 poll. You can check the Seattle Times commentary on this.


The chorus of industry commentators, analysts, partners and real enterprise users confirm what we already knew - businesses are buying, using and liking Windows Vista. If you haven’t already, try it and decide for yourself.  

Aug

24

Nikon RAW Codec on Windows Vista x64

Category: Vista News | Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago I discovered Nikon had released a new version of their Nikon RAW Codec for download - Version 1.4.0. This new version adds support for Windows Vista SP1. The Nikon RAW Codec is for users shooting in the RAW photo format with Nikon cameras to view Nikon’s RAW .NEF files in using Windows Live Photo Gallery.

Download: Nikon RAW Codec Version 1.4.0


I discovered a hidden “gem” with this new release however. It runs on PCs running 64-bit versions of Windows Vista.  Apparently, this version of Nikon’s RAW Codec takes advantage of Windows Vista’s built in 32-bit emulation feature called WOW64. I’ve got it installed on my Windows Vista 64-bit PC and am able to import and view RAW images (.NEF files) off my Nikon D40 into Windows Live Photo Gallery and view them just fine. I’ve confirmed this works with a few friends of mine who also use Nikon cameras and running a 64-bit version of Windows Vista.


If you shoot photos with a Nikon digital camera, use the RAW file format and run a 64-bit version of Windows Vista - definitely give this version of the Nikon RAW Codec a try. It worked for me, I’m hoping it works for you!

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