Microsoft's upcoming Windows Vista operating system will not be generally available until 2007

Editions of Windows Vista for consumers and pre-installs on new PCs will not be available this year, according to the software giant, although businesses will gain access to the operating system in November.

Microsoft said “broad consumer availability” will not be until January next year, meaning that PC retailers are likely to suffer a bleak Christmas as consumers hold off purchases.

“Product quality and a great out-of-box experience have been two of our key drivers for Windows Vista, and we are on track to deliver on both,” said Jim Allchin, Microsoft platforms and services division co-president. “But the industry requires greater lead time to deliver Windows Vista on new PCs during holiday. We must optimise for the industry, so we’ve decided to separate business and consumer availability.”

However, the delay for home editions will have some knock-on effect for businesses as many workers use a consumer PC for business tasks.

PC makers put a brave face on the delay.

“We strongly support Microsoft’s decision to prioritise quality in determining the schedule for Windows Vista,” said Todd Bradley, executive vice president of the Personal Systems Group at HP. “A January launch of Windows Vista allows us to execute in a consistent way throughout the holidays, and will provide the right opportunity for a large, exciting launch industry-wide after the New Year.”

Ron Boire, executive vice-president and general merchandising manager at US retailer Best Buy, said, “When people come to our stores to buy a new PC or new software for their PC, we want to be able to offer them a broad set of choices, immediate availability and a great retail experience. We agree with Microsoft that it’s best to do this right — and in this case it’s delivering Windows Vista-based PCs with confidence in January 2007.”