Reports are emerging that according to a Gartner analysis, albeit a controversial one, Windows is on the verge of collapse. The conclusion being that unless something is done soon then it is only a matter of time before a competitor that is more able to tackle the problems it has faced will emerge and dethrone the OS King.
The analysis, carried out for Gartner by Michael Silver and Neil MacDonald, included a survey which asked if Microsoft needed to radically alter its approach to Windows to stay viable. Of the assorted IT managers and executives questioned, half apparently raised their hands.
Interestingly, the spectre of Windows 7 might be having an impact upon the commercial success of Vista with Silver providing anecdotal evidence of customers calling to ask if it was advisable to wait for the next generation Windows OS rather than upgrade now to Vista. The answer, according to the Daily Tech report at any rate, was to adopt Vista on an attrition basis and replacing XP only when those machines died.
The analysis offers the following advice for Microsoft: reduce development time, deliver better inter-platform consistency, tailor fit the operating system to specific applications and simplify licensing.