back to article Windows Vista marketing 'deceived' consumers

Microsoft has been accused of deceiving US consumers by marketing PCs as "Windows Vista Capable" when they could only run the most basic version of its latest operating system. A US lawsuit filed today claims Microsoft overstated the ability of PCs to run Windows Vista, and that an upgrade program added insult to injury by …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. THOMAS ELAM

    Bull@#$! lawyers

    Anyone who missed the difference between Vista Capable and Vista Ready had to be either hiding under a rock or not asking any questions. The next thing you know some ambulance chaser will be suing HP for leaving the "Any" key off the keyboards.

  2. Tim Bates

    And then there was "Express" Upgrades!

    They also should be made to answer for the "Express Upgrades" which took months after the product release.

    I bought a new laptop on the promise of getting Vista Business for "free" (yeah, I know there'd be freight charges). And here I am still waiting for it to arrive.

  3. Webster Phreaky

    REMEMBER the Steve Jobs OS X Lie???

    REMEMBER the Steve Jobs OS X Lie???

    Funny how the Apple Pimp Media always seems to forget the BIG STEVE JOBS LIE about OS X fully supporting ALL THE G3's made just prior to and during the development of OS X ... hmmm, ain't that convenient of the media for get that while blasting MS. "Apple sued over G3 support in OS X" http://www.macworld.com/news/2002/01/31/g3osx/ Smile while in Denial, Apple Kool Aid Drinkers!!

    Ps, Apple LOST that lawsuit.

    Your humble Apple Basher,

    Webster Phreaky

  4. Joe Cincotta

    Um...

    Sounds like those 10,000 people should initiate a class action against the lawyer that represented to them they have a case.

  5. James Minney

    If the publicity makes them think a bit . . . .

    If the publicity makes them think twice about dodgy advertising, it will have achieved something

  6. Karl Lattimer

    Where's all the ram gone?

    So where exactly do the system resources that are required to run vista go?

    In linux I use about 27Mb to run beryl, my composite manager that runs all of the visual effects I want, and seriously kicks aero glass out of the window(s). As a result of the composite manager taking over control of the visuals, I use far less ram on Xorg.

    My file system indexing agent beagle, uses 18Mb ram.

    I don't need UAC because its UNIX, so its already got all that stuff like, erm, builtin (since what like the 70s?) so to speak...

    So my question still remains, how is it that vista requires so much in the way of system resources to run?

    Me thinks they have inefficient memory slicing, do nothing loops etc... Typical microsoft, I mean, what do they do, is it commission based programming, you get paid by the line, more lines of code, more money?

    Filed under bloatware... Doesn't provide anything of worth, slows down your computer, leaves fewer resources free for running applications... Complete worthless crap...

    PS: Compiz (another composite manager), beagle etc... essentially everything in vista, runs on SLED from Novell, I had this out performing XP by a helluva way on a 2Ghz Celeron from 4 years ago, and 256Mb ram and a crappy mobile radeon, in an old dell laptop. It was like using a brand new machine!

    What a difference a good OS can make ;)

  7. steve

    Express my @&£$

    On the subject of deceiving consumers, I applied and submitted all the relevant documentation to moduslink (whoever they are) by 5th Jan. It took them 8 weeks to validate my order, and then over 2 weeks to "ship" my order with the caveat that I should receive it in 3 weeks.

    3 weeks??? I'm paying over £10 for what is supposed to be postage & packing here and it takes 3 weeks to deliver?

    Oh and there's a lovely warning at the end:

    If you do not receive your order, please contact us via email by May 1, 2007, for English language versions of the product and June 1, 2007, for non-English language versions of the product so that we may research your request and ship your order.

    Are they saying there's a good chance the emails lying and they've not yet shipped my order???

  8. Dot Net

    Webster Phreaky in denial

    I have OSX 10.4.9 running on a 733 G3 that's a whooping 350Mhz! And Expose still flys unlike the always crashing Windows Aero. Have you tried playing a DVD on Windows 2000 PC wtih a 350Mhz processor? Obviously not. Guess what? It doesn't work! And neither does Vista on a 350Mhz box. Know what you are talking about instead of digging old links for your straw man arguments

    C'mon Vista is a cheap knockoff of OSX

    Don't be hatin` cause all you can afford is Old Navy!

  9. TEQ

    Last I looked, Microsoft doesn't market or sell PCs

    So why should they be held responsible for the mis-marketing of various PC builders who are the real culprits here. Microsoft have been guilty of many things - this isn't one of them however so let's assign the blame to where it truly belongs.

  10. Sean Healey

    Microsoft 0wn3s those who Do sell pcs.

    No M$ doesn't make or sell PCs - it doesn't have to because it has every manufacturer and fabricator who does by the balls through their evil licensing schemes. PC fabricators basically must dance to the M$ tune if they want to sell machines which run windows because they are bound by the M$ licence agreements.

    The best bit is that they have to pay M$ a windows fee for every machine they sell even if it doesn't have windows on it. Why do you think Dell was so reluctant to sell Linux machines - they would have been losing the equivalent of the windows fee on every Linux machine which went out the door, worse because the customer doesn't pay anything for the copy of Linux.

    Open your eyes - how do you think M$ makes *billions* - how do you think they got to be a monopoly with their unreliable substandard software?

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Bloat

    Why does an operating system need 1GB of RAM and a high end graphics card? The OS is there to run the applications. A computer with the OS alone is useless. So now you need a gaming machine to run Word. Strange how an old 486 running Windows 3.1 and Office boots and gets your work done at the same speed as a new machine and Vista.

    Eye candy and change for the sake of change. Most people and businesses would be no less functional using Office 97 instead of 2007. Same for Vista.

    For all the Windows lovers out there, suck it up. Don't complain about needing new systems and software. There are alternatives. If you feel you are a victim it's your own damned fault.

  12. Remy Redert

    DRM

    Most of the extra RAM and CPU cycles used by Vista will in fact not be going to anything you use. It'll go to making sure you can't use your computer in ways Microsoft and hollywood don't want you to, it's the wonder of DRM!

  13. Patrick Parks

    Why are people so worked up over Vista?

    The component that I don't like is the fact that Microsoft even bothers to release a version like Home Basic which is essentially just stripped down for no other reason than to differentiate their product line and charge more for the premium versions which actually contain the features that people are expecting to see in the next generation operating system from Microsoft.

    I've heard Bill Gates say that you could upgrade for just $100, but seriously what are you really getting for your $100 bucks? Without the fancy aero-glass eye-candy changes...this new OS is simply a yawn. They claim better security, but that that is really still open for debate as I haven't seen much in terms of actual improvement. I've yet to discover the pieces of this OS that make it a compelling upgrade over Windows XP...aside from the upcoming DX10 gaming stuff....which seems to be used more as a strong-arm tactic to force upgrades.

    Rather than filing lawsuits against MS and vendors over Vista, I'd say your time is better spent sticking with Windows XP, MAC OSX, or Linux.

    Just because Microsoft wants you to be excited about this new operating system, doesn't mean that you actually have to be excited. Mac OSX comes in 1 flavor, with all features enabled and is only $129. Or you can get a Ubuntu Linux box configured with an Nvidia card and Beryl and pretty much have the functionality of the Windows and Mac GUI all in one place without any required out of pocket expense or licensing/activation hassle.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The real problem is....

    That MS requires a hardware upgrade to run THE OPERATING SYSTEM! My God, though I work in the tech industry I have to wonder what we have come to when an MS Windows OS cannot be run on 70% of existing WIntel systems.

    This is ridiculous and it should stand as an indictment of the "fluff for fluff's sake" vendor-centered mindeet that is present in too many corners of the IT industry and profession. Whatever happened to helping the customer do what THEY want to do better?

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like