News: Software for Small Business

Could It Be? More Delays for Microsoft Vista

With Office 2007 pushed back, will Vista follow suit?

by Keith R. Wheeler

7/10/2006

With the already announced delay of Office 2007 at the end of June, could Microsoft ultimately delay the already delayed launch of its Vista operating system? Apparently, there is a substantial debate going on with the software giant to make such a decision. Back in March of this year, Office 2007 was scheduled for delivery to volume licensees by October. The June 29 delay announcement doesn’t even specify a new target date – just the loose terms: end of the year for volume licensees and early 2007 for retail availability. Since the most recent confirmed ship date for Windows Vista of fall for volume licenses and January 2007 for retail availability are yet to be changed, this contradicts the previous reason for the delay of Office 2007. Back in March, Microsoft’s explanation for pushing back the launch of Office 2007 was that they wanted to release Vista and Office 2007 in the same time frame. For many providers, Microsoft should further delay the Vista launch since it will already miss the fourth quarter holiday season. Their preference would be for Microsoft to get Vista out the door without the need for a service pack just after launch. How does this affect small business? Vista is going to require an enormous amount of hardware resources virtually meaning that it needs a new PC to run effectively. For offices on the verge of hardware replacement, waiting for the Vista launch could be a smart choice. Of course, those small companies looking forward to the new features of Office 2007, the already delayed office suite shouldn’t necessarily affect their decision to purchase new hardware. Only a small fraction of small businesses are first adopters – meaning that they are willing to try new technology products and solutions immediately after launch. Most prefer to let others work out the kinks of the new systems and follow suit after a reasonable period of time. Therefore, more Vista and Office 2007 delays most likely won’t affect small businesses unless they are waiting to entirely replace current systems.