Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

Microsoft Entices Holiday Shoppers With 250 Vista-Ready Product,

TechWeb"There's no precedent in my mind," Harry Wang, research analyst for Parks Associates said.

The closest comparison would be the TV industry, Harry Wang said. Manufacturers selling analog sets today are telling consumers that government coupons will be available in 2008 to help pay for converters that will make it possible for the TVs to receive digital signals. Starting Feb. 17, 2009, TV networks will be required to broadcast only digital programming.

"The PC purchase is more dependent on how badly they need to upgrade their existing one," Harry Wang said.

Other experts are equally skeptical whether there's much Microsoft can do now to drive Vista sales later. Gartner, for example, said offering Vista coupons is unlikely to boost sales because of the cost of upgrading an XP PC. Besides the additional $49 and $79 consumers would reportedly pay for Vista Home Basic and Home Premium, respectively, there's also the cost of having a retailer or reseller install the new OS.

Wang agrees. "Price will be an important factor."

From the article "Microsoft Entices Holiday Shoppers With 250 Vista-Ready Product," by Antone Gonsalves.

Previously In The News

Uber aims to be uber-funded by expanding funding round by $1B

Venture capitalists' recent investments in Uber "underscore the confidence investors have in Uber's growth," an Uber spokeswoman said. She said additional funding will be geared toward its car-pool...

Uber homes in on safety initiatives amid concerns

While Uber is forging ahead with its initiatives, tangible safety improvements may take time, said Parks Associates research analyst Tejas Mehta. "Uber's new safety initiatives are an acknowled...

Amazon and GameFly get their streaming game on

For Amazon, the introduction of the exclusive service could help it gain more attention in the crowded market of streaming-media players, where it remains a second-tier player. Rival Roku is the le...

As iPhone 6S launches, a new Apple TV and iPad Pro steal the show

But the market has radically changed since the arrival of the previous Apple TV box, the all-time leader with 25 million units sold over its lifetime. Roku (10 million units sold as of last year) i...