MS lowered Vista specs to sell Intel tech
updated 02:20 pm EST, Thu February 28, 2008
MS Lowered Vista Specs
Microsoft knowingly lowered the requirements for Windows Vista to help Intel sell more low-cost chipsets, disclosed company e-mail has revealed. Further searches as part of an investigation into misleading Vista Capable stickers has revealed a message by executive John Kalkman which complains of bending the minimum specifications to allow certain budget mainboards to earn the criteria despite missing out on key features. Despite a lack of support for Vista's Aero Glass appearance and other features considered selling points for the OS, the Intel 915 mainboard chipset was allowed to qualify for the Vista Capable logo solely to satisfy the close hardware partner, even though it effectively allowed companies to ship sub-par hardware and delay efforts for more capable equipment.
"In the end, we lowered the requirement to help Intel make their quarterly earnings so they could continue to sell motherboards with the 915 [chipset's] graphics embedded," Kalkman said in February 2007, just after Vista's release.
Microsoft has since responded to the questions raised by this and other e-mail and reiterated its claim that the dialog was evidence of an "active discussion" about how to implement the Vista Capable program rather than evidence of deliberate intent. The Home Basic edition of Vista, which turns off Aero Glass and other performance-intensive elements, is labeled an example of these improvements. No explanation was given for why the discussion was still in progress months after the start of the Vista Capable program and weeks after the late-January debut of the software.
Intel has not commented on the apparent pressure on Microsoft to improve Windows sales.
The e-mail is believed to be crucial to a lawsuit filed against Microsoft, which charges the company with misleading customers into buying sub-par computers ahead of Vista's launch under the false assumption that they could upgrade to Vista while running the software properly.
Go, M$!
02/28, 02:41pm reply
You potential, our passion.
Guest
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It doesn't really
02/28, 02:51pm reply
speak well of Intel either, if true.
mgpalma
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lol
02/28, 03:05pm reply
Let's just forget about the little problem that Vista is a collosal piece of c*** otherwise!
manleycreative
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stfu pc fanboys
02/28, 04:01pm reply
this is the kind of thing which justifies knee-jerk hatred of all things Microsoft. I swear it's as if Montgomery Burns ran the place.
climacs
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testicaludo where are you
02/28, 09:14pm reply
MS just popped you a shiner here. Care to comment? Kind of undercuts most of your recent MS fanboy blather now-don't it.
Monde
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Coward
02/28, 10:25pm reply
testudo doesn't pick any fight he can't knowingly win.
appleuzr
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Montgomery Burns, HA, HA!
02/28, 10:25pm reply
"Exxxxxcellent"
Of course, you need to watch "The Simpsons" to know the meaning of "HA, HA!" and "Exxxxxcellent"
MeandmyMac
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Don't forget...
02/29, 01:59am reply
wallowing in crapulence. That Exxxxcellent was exxxxcellent. As he tents his fingers.
Monde
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Re: testicaludo where are
02/29, 10:04am reply
MS just popped you a shiner here. Care to comment? Kind of undercuts most of your recent MS fanboy blather now-don't it.
What MS fanboy blather are you talking about? And how does it undercut it? I don't recall ever talking about MS's wonderful "Vista capable" stickers (although if people would actually read what that sticker meant, they wouldn't have been caught off guard. Oh, but that requires consumers with intelligence).
And why you're laughing at MS, don't forget to include Intel into that (or are you ignoring them because they're Apple's partner now and so anything they do is OK). What this looks like is MS trying to help Intel push more computers.
In fact, the whole "Vista logo" garbage was instigated by the PC vendors who were crying because people were holding off buying computers and they wanted something to reassure them. They were all in it together, it just wasn't MS.
And it really makes you wonder about the lawyers in this case. It is so obvious, you have to wonder why they also aren't suing Intel, Dell, HP, etc...
testudo
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Vista isn't selling well.
03/02, 08:29am reply
Because it's buggy, slow, just a virus vulnerable as XP and a pain to configure hardware and software properly. That's why so many people are sticking with or downgrading to XP. After the Longhorn debacle MS is trying to recoup some of there losses with a product that just doesn't cut the mustard. MS is simply trying to push more Vista OS's by lowering the minimum specifications. But really, who want's Vista to run slower? Thanks for thinking of your customers MS. My God!
syzygi
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