Without a doubt, the most important product release in the computer and general tech world in recent memory has been Vista, Microsoft's latest operating system (OS).

In development for a decade, it's meant the employment of some 10,000 MS workers, laboring day and night to iron out the many bugs inherent to such an upgrade. However, as hyped as the January 2007 home release of the operating system was, sales have been low. Is this the result of a poor product, or simply the economic and logistical circumstances of the global business environment?

According to many insiders, it isn't the quality of Vista which has hurt the release, but instead its mere timing. Vista offers vastly improved security over XP, an easier and more streamlined interface, gorgeous visuals, and even entertaining Media Center functions.

However, the operating system has been released, it seems, at a time when so few people actually require a new computer. Since so many PCs ship with the most recent OS, it's also meant a lowered demand for Vista. (Source: wikipedia.org)

It might surprise readers to hear that the demand for PCs actually decreased 15% in 2006, from previous years 2004 and 2005. Many analysts have thus blamed Microsoft's delay in releasing the OS, since it was two, even three years ago that business and home users truly demanded something like Vista. (Source: Microsoft-watch.com)

It's not all doom and gloom for Microsoft, however. Tech research group Gartner recently stated that many businesses will, in all likelihood, wait 12-18 months before investing in an operating system as radically updated as Vista. The waiting period could significantly shorten with the Redmond-based company's extremely fast response to consumer-requested fixes.

The first few months of life have certainly been tumultuous for Vista, although the reasons for it might, after all, just be a sign of the times.