Adoption of Microsoft’s Windows Vista operating system will happen at a faster pace than any previous operating system release, a software analyst predicted last week.Up to 15 percent of PC users will move to Vista within the first year that the operating system is available, said David Mitchell, the software practice leader at Ovum. “That would make it the fastest-moving operating system ever,” he said.By comparison, between 12 percent and 14 percent of users switched to Windows XP during the first year of its release, Mitchell said.Vista is likely to gain traction in the market from quick adoption by both corporate and consumer users. For example, companies that participate in Microsoft’s Software Assurance licensing program will automatically get upgrades to Vista, Mitchell said. “On the consumer side, there has been a bit of pent-up demand. Just look at the beta adoption in the consumer space—it’s very high,” he said. Vista will be available to business customers on Nov. 30, with the operating system available to consumers in January. For users who buy a new computer before Vista is released to consumers, Microsoft is now shipping Vista upgrade coupons with computers that are sold with Windows XP.The upgrade coupons mean that Microsoft will not be hurt financially by missing the year-end holiday shopping season—a peak time for computer sales. While corporate and consumer users will quickly move to Vista, the adoption prospects for Office 2007—which goes on sale at the same time—are less clear. While many users may now see no need to upgrade, once Office 2007 starts to make its way into companies, users may find themselves upgrading to keep pace, Mitchell said.Overall, the rate of adoption of Office 2007 will be lower than Vista during the first year, Mitchell said. “You don’t get the OEM drag effect. If you buy a new PC, you get a copy of Vista. You don’t necessarily get a copy of Office,” he said.-Sumner Lemon, IDG News Service (Singapore Bureau)Related Links: Beyond Vista Forrester: Consumers Won’t Flock to Microsoft Vista Microsoft Windows Vista En Route to Manufacturing Microsoft Taps Partners to Ease Vista CompatibilityCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content feature 10 most popular IT certifications for 2023 Certifications are a great way to show employers you have the right IT skills and specializations for the job. These 10 certs are the ones IT pros are most likely to pursue, according to data from Dice. By Sarah K. White May 26, 2023 8 mins Certifications Careers interview Stepping up to the challenge of a global conglomerate CIO role Dr. Amrut Urkude became CIO of Reliance Polyester after his company was acquired by Reliance Industries. He discusses challenges IT leaders face while transitioning from a small company to a large multinational enterprise, and how to overcome them. By Yashvendra Singh May 26, 2023 7 mins Digital Transformation Careers brandpost With the new financial year looming, now is a good time to review your Microsoft 365 licenses By Veronica Lew May 25, 2023 5 mins Lenovo news Alteryx works in generative AI for speedy analytics results OpenAI integration and AI wizardry for report generation are aimed at making Alteryx’s analytics products more accessible. By Jon Gold May 25, 2023 3 mins Analytics Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe