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Vista Branding Confuses Vista Marketing Exec

by , 2:15 PM EST, November 28th, 2007

In the lawsuit against Microsoft and its use of the term "Windows Vista Capable" on PCs even Microsoft's director of marketing was confused by the term, a term that Microsoft Corp. claimed wasn't confusing at all, according to C|Net on Wednesday.

According to the plaintiffs, Dianne Kelley and Kenenth Hansen, Microsoft wasn't being upfront when it authorized the label "Vista Capable" on PCs. In their complaint, they claim that the label suggests that the computer could run all versions of Vista when, in fact, it could only run Home Basic.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs pointed out that even Microsoft's director of marketing, Mark Croft, had become confused during testimony. Mr. Croft explained at first that "capable" meant that the PC could run any version, as opposed to the term "ready" which would have the connotation that the PC would run in some improved way.

After a consult with his attorneys, Mr. Croft said that he'd made "an error" and retracted his previous statement, and said that "capable" means that the PC would be "able to run a version of Vista."

The plaintiff's attorneys keyed in on this confusion quickly: "Mr. Croft understood Microsoft's logo to be telling customers that PCs would run not only the stripped-down Vista Home Basic, but also what plaintiffs contend are the 'real' versions of Vista: the ones that include Microsoft's heavily marketed 'Vista features.' Ironically, Mr. Croft's understanding of what 'Windows Vista capable' means is the same understanding that Microsoft asserts no consumer would be justified in having."

Microsoft claims that it had informed OEMs, retailers and press about what "Vista Capable" means.

Observer Comments

Show: Subjects Only | Full Comments
Close Name:noworryz Posts: 5 Joined: 15 Nov 2007
Subject: Select a Vista

The wheel just stopped on "Lose a Turn."

Close Name:xmattingly Posts: 165 Joined: 31 Jul 2007
Subject: I only have one comment:

Bwah-haha-hahaha! Vista is such a convoluted, mangled mess that they don't even know how to market it! Oh, that is just too rich.

Close Name:gopher Posts: 267 Joined: 28 Mar 2002
Subject: Vista's View = Clear as mud.

No wonder they are confused. With 12 different versions of Vista, what is capable and what is not?

Close Name:geoduck Posts: 1665 Joined: 30 Dec 2003
Subject:

With Leopard; >867Mhz & 512Mb of RAM and it will run. You get all the features, all the bells and whistles. No muss, no fuss, no confusion.

View Name:Guest
Subject:
View Name:Guest
Subject: Not entirely correct...
Close Name:Steve Ballmer Guest
Subject: What capable means is obvious!

[deleted - will this idiot never learn? Thou shalt not troll, neither shalt thou spam!]

View Name:Guest
Subject: To many Vista's not enough System
View Name:Guest
Subject: Awsome
Close Name:daemon Posts: 305 Joined: 17 May 2007
Subject:

Microsoft made a mistake in creating so many different versions of Vista. I personally wish they would go to a single version.

As far as this lawsuit goes, you might as well sue Apple for selling laptops labled "capable of displaying millions of colors," oh wait, that already happened.

Close Name:Intruder -   TMO Mac Specialist Posts: 2836 Joined: 07 Jul 2004
Subject:

Quote
daemon wrote:
As far as this lawsuit goes, you might as well sue Apple for selling laptops labled "capable of displaying millions of colors," oh wait, that already happened.


Just like every other laptop manufacturer in the world. Not just Apple.

View Name:Guest
Subject: Vista out of touch
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