Microsoft has delayed the shipping of its new Vista
operating system to business and consumer users until an
unspecified date in 2007, blaming security concerns.
The move caused the company some embarrassment, and much flack
over missing the pre-Christmas shopping period, but the delay is a
smart one, given the buggy security of Microsoft’s previous Windows
operating systems.
The company says Vista needs more fine-tuning, especially on its
security features, which are a core selling point, and which
Microsoft has been trumpeting for months. Several of the company’s
partners had also requested that it wait until 2007.
It's clearly a smart move to delay the release until when it’s
ready, rather than ship an insecure and flawed product, especially
when, given its improved security elements, an army of hackers will
want to break it. Microsoft will get some whining headlines in the
meantime, but I’m sure it can live with them.
