The latest tests show that Windows XP with SP3 scores twice as much as Vista with SP1. The performance improvement of SP1 version of Vista is less than 2% compared to Vista without the service pack, while the SP3 version of XP system has improved by 10% over the previous system.
Vista has been released for more than a year, but how much market share does it actually have? Its market share is only 10%. According to the latest data, 84% of large enterprise PCs run on the Windows XP system, which is even higher than last year's 67%. It is obvious that Vista's biggest rival is not Apple's Mac OS X Leopard, nor the free Linux, but Microsoft's own XP.
There is no denying that there are a large number of new features in Vista, but Microsoft's promotional efforts are still insufficient. In the six months after its launch, Vista's sales were 59.7% lower than those of XP at the time. Many consumers still do not understand Vista or their hardware cannot keep up with Vista's requirements. Even Microsoft's corporate vice president, Mike Sievert, said: "Frankly speaking, the world is not 100% ready for Windows Vista." In fact, Windows Vista is also not ready to enter the world.
When talking about Vista, we must mention its 3D interface. Many people began to understand Vista from this wonderful transparent glass effect. This new graphical system is called "Aero", which is a significant upgrade compared to XP. As a new system, Vista's security performance is better than XP. Microsoft stated in a recently published report that its malicious software removal tool clears approximately 60% fewer malicious software targeting Vista than those targeting XP. Although XP still occupies a huge market share and attackers can still profit from targeting XP, Vista, as the next target, is gradually entering the sights of hackers. The built-in parental control function in Vista is a highlight, allowing parents to decide the allowable usage time of the computer, the games children can play, and the software they can run, and also track children's email messages and instant messaging information. Vista also allows users with little computer experience to easily set up wired or wireless networks. The DX10 built into Vista has attracted quite a number of gaming enthusiasts who have the budget, but currently, not only are DX10 games few and far between, but the graphics cards supporting DX10 are also not yet mature.
Although Vista has powerful functions, it requires high configuration. After all, users upgrading their hardware just to change the system are still in the minority. In comparison, XP has a lifespan of six years, reaching its peak, with a vast user base, low system hardware requirements, good compatibility with software and hardware, and will not quickly decline.
Many people are eagerly awaiting XP SP3, which may be XP's last moment of brilliance. Although Vista SP1 is also coming soon, many people give up Vista and return to XP. Microsoft might have foreseen this and already released a program to downgrade Vista back to XP. Moreover, the latest tests also show that the performance of XP SP3 is even stronger than Vista. In terms of demand, XP basically meets the needs of most people, which also brings difficulties for Vista to further occupy the market.
It is reported that due to the inability to fully resolve compatibility issues, the advantages once touted by Microsoft such as desktop search, user interface, and security features are now gradually fading. If Microsoft cannot quickly release patches for Vista to solve this problem, the promotion of Vista will continue to be hindered. Microsoft developers are further improving various functions of Vista and are also committed to the development of the next generation operating system, Windows 7. Before the next generation of Windows 7 is launched, Vista still has a long way to go to replace XP...