Peaks, valleys and vistas
The launch of a new version of Microsoft Windows, called Vista, is not quite the event it used to be. Has the software giant reached the pinnacle of its power?
AROUND the time of the release of Windows 95, Microsoft discreetly sold a small subsidiary that made its packaging. A decade ago that decision seemed to fit with the progression of computing and the nascent internet. Although people all over the world stood in long lines to be the first to buy boxed and shrink-wrapped copies of Microsoft's latest operating system, it was thought that such products would in future be delivered direct to their computers over high-speed networks.
This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “Peaks, valleys and vistas”
From the January 20th 2007 edition
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