WinHEC 2006: Vista Specs Still Murky for Many

Customers who want more information about the system specs that PCs will require to run the forthcoming Windows Vista operating system will get some, but not much, help from Microsoft at the company's conference for hardware engineers, which starts tomorrow.

At Microsoft's annual Windows Hardware Engineering Conference, or WinHEC, the company will discuss a "Get Ready" for Vista program it launched late last week, which outlines the hardware requirements to run low-end and premium versions of Windows Vista.

However, Microsoft expects the Get Ready program to pretty much speak for itself, says Mike Burke, a Microsoft product manager, and will not discuss it in "any comprehensive detail" at the conference.

WinHEC 2006 runs May 23 through 25 in Seattle.

Questions Linger

Burke's statement is bad news for some analysts and users who say they still aren't clear what kind of PC to buy to get ready for Vista--even though Microsoft has provided a tool on the Get Ready Web site that they can run on their PCs to help them to test system requirements. Since Vista is such a drastic overhaul to the Windows OS with multimedia features that will require, among other things, premium hardware for graphics, knowing what kind of system to purchase is important to customers.

"I still think [Vista requirements] are still extremely hard to figure out," says Michael Cherry, an analyst with research firm Directions on Microsoft Inc. "It bothers me that I'm sitting here with a brand new machine I just purchased in the last three months, but even though I ran Microsoft's program, I'm not sure if it could exploit Vista."

It would be helpful if Microsoft or hardware vendors could "clarify" Vista PC requirements at WinHEC, he adds.

Burke says that Microsoft has worked closely with its hardware partners so they can articulate to users what kind of technology a PC will require to run Vista--hence the Get Ready Web site and program. Customers who want more information can certainly get it from those partners, he says. "We don't want this to be confusing for customers," Burke adds.

Vista Prep

Microsoft began working with hardware partners several months ago to prepare customers for Vista's release. In April, PCs with stickers saying "Windows Vista Capable" became available in stores, letting customers know what the minimum hardware requirements for running low-end versions of Vista are. The Get Ready program also outlined requirements for PCs with a Windows Vista Premium Ready designation. These PCs can run higher-end versions of the OS that include the next-generation graphical user interface of Vista, called Aero. However, this designation will not be part of the in-store PC program, the company says.

Also at WinHEC, Microsoft plans to present to business customers how they can take advantage of not only Vista, but also the next version of Windows Server and Office 2007, as one platform. Burke says Microsoft will discuss the connections between the three products and the value of deploying them all at once, since they are expected to be available around the same time.

Microsoft has said that Office 2007 and Windows Vista will be available to business customers in November or December, while the next version of Windows Server, code-named Longhorn, is expected sometime next year.