Microsoft slowly edges away from Vista

Davey Winder
Tuesday, 28 October 2008 16:00

IT Industry - Strategy

The Microsoft Windows Vista Team Blog was the place to get the official inside word on everything to do with Vista, well everything Microsoft wanted you to know about at any rate. So why has it just been re-launched as The Windows Blog which reflects Windows in a broader sense?

Vista was meant to be the best Windows ever, but it has never really felt the love of Joe Public. Apple has been quick to seize upon the perceived Microsoft unease regarding Vista in a new and stinging advertising campaign.

Now it would appear that even Microsoft is going soft on Vista, as it re-launches the official Windows Vista Team Blog to remove focus from the failing OS. Or, as Microsoft puts it, "reflecting Windows in a broader sense instead of a single Windows release."

Under the guise of a blog face lift, and claiming it was needed as the site had not been changed since it launched in October 2006, Microsoft does admit that the old design was "focused strictly on Windows Vista."

In fact, the old design had two blogs which were both hosted there: Windows Vista Team Blog and Windows Experience Blog. You might have thought that the latter was the ideal place to discuss those "other interesting Windows topics" that Microsoft are talking about.

Things start to get a little confusing, given this Microsoft wants to move away from the Vista focus message, when you realise that The Windows Blog is actually now host to three distinct blogs and one of them remains the Windows Team Vista Blog.

What seems to have happened is Microsoft has produced an umbrella site under The Windows Blog name, from where you can jump directly to the Vista conversation, the Windows Experience Blog conversation or the new Windows 7 Team Blog conversation.

Except there are no postings, and therefore no conversation, regarding Windows 7 as I write. That will all change as the Windows PDC progresses and plenty of interesting stuff about Windows 7 emerges no doubt.

So what has actually changed here, and is Microsoft really distancing itself from Vista as it readies the Windows 7 hype? More on page 2...

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