Windows ‘Mojave’ Video Posts

Last week we showed a video of the Mojave Experiment to a small group of folks here on campus.  Today we are excited to share the results with the public.

For those new to the Mojave Experiment, it's a focus group effort we initiated a few weeks ago. We interviewed and polled 120 participants in San Francisco, in hopes of better understanding everyday users' perceptions of Windows Vista and seeing whether there really is a gap between perception and reality. We wanted to see how people reacted to Windows Vista when they were not aware they were seeing Windows Vista. We recorded our discussions, and today you can see them for yourself.

Some other facts about the research: 

  • The focus group took place over three days in San Francisco and was conducted earlier this month.
  • All participants were either Mac, Linux, or users of versions of Windows that came before Windows Vista. Respondents were chosen from the focus group organizer's database, called at random, but then selected based on having a low perception of Vista (<5 rating on a scale of 1-10).
  • The participants were given a demo by a trained retail salesperson - geared towards the experiences they seemed most interested in following a series of interviews. While the retail salesperson drove the demo, it was geared by the interests and direction of the participant.
  • We did not use some geeked out or custom built PC. We used an HP Pavilion DV2500. It had 2GB of RAM and was running an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU T7500 @ 2.20GHz. The OS was a 32 bit version of Windows Vista Ultimate.
  • Of the 120 respondents polled, on a scale of 1:10 where 10 was the highest rating, the average pre-rating for Windows Vista was 4.4. After they saw the demo, respondents rated Mojave an average of 8.5.

Finally, some people have asked if Mojave is the big marketing project we're working on - it's not. The Mojave Experiment is just that: an experiment we conducted on the fly that yielded interesting results. We're publishing the video today because we think you'll also find it interesting.

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Comments

  1. Superpotato
    Posted on: July 29, 2008 at 10:58AM  

    It would have been funny if the test PC was a "Vista capable" labeled PC from when vista was first released (with Intel integrated graphics)....

    Anyway, I must say that Vista has moved on from utter useless garbage to a pretty good OS. since SP1 I have not had a single crash or freeze(knock on wood)and now that Nvidia finally figured out how to code Vista drivers it's giving XP a run for it's money in gaming!

    I'm using the 64-bit version and I have to say it's brilliant. Probably Vista won't be able to replace XP on everyone's PC just yet but it's certainly getting there.

  2. MattB
    Posted on: July 29, 2008 at 11:48AM  

    I don't think this really proves anything other that someone at MS can edit video.  If an OS needs an MS profession there to show you how to use it then I think something is wrong.

    Don't get me wrong.  I have always run MS OS's and they have always been great products.  I was excited to run Vista when it came out and I have been using it for over a year now.  However, after more than a year on it I am looking at buying a Mac now.  I spend far too much time waiting for Vista, every click seems to have a period of waiting after it and I'm running it on a pretty powerful machine.

    It's a bit sad but I'm not loyal enough to MS to loose that much productivity

  3. Compumind
    Posted on: July 29, 2008 at 12:27PM  

    PLEASE READ THIS!

    I watched the "mojave" video snippets and I just have two questions to ask...

    1) How *MUCH* did you pay these people?

    2) How did you tranquilize them?

    Enough said.

    ;0)

  4. john
    FeaturedCommunity
    Posted on: July 29, 2008 at 12:43PM  

    About time, Chris.

    Goes to show that a lot of the 'issues' with Windows Vista comes from unfounded FUD against Microsoft by biased IT media.

    Also, thanks for calling out the panderers at Forrester for their waffling.

  5. dbm1rxb
    Posted on: July 29, 2008 at 12:45PM  

    Chris, I wish I could agree with you, however, I just finished my fourth complete recovery of Vista since February. I am so disgusted with Vista compared to XP.

    Rich B.

  6. Dozer42
    Posted on: July 29, 2008 at 12:59PM  

    Microsoft is in some serious denial here.

    Windows Vista is the worst operating system in history, next to Windows ME.

    There is not one single advantage to Vista that our customers need.

    It's slower. Apps run slower, games run slower, as you can see just from the posts here, it likes to intermittently and without reason come to a crawl.

    Many applications and peripherals simply do not work with it. Why should I pay Intuit another $150 for Quickbooks Pro 2007 when I just paid for 2006? Why doesn't it, and so many other programs work with Vista or it's useless compatibility mode.

    We sell hundreds of computers every year. We ask every customer whether they would prefer a machine with Vista, or Windows XP. They look surprised when we ask them this, because they thought XP was no longer available? Every single one of them goes for the system with XP without fail.

    We take brand new Dell Vostros w/Vista Business, and because we're Microsoft Certified Gold Partners we can legally downgrade them to XP Pro, and we do so.

    The result? A clean, FAST system that boots from power-button to surfing the web in Firefox in 35 seconds flat. It runs all of their applications, works with all of their peripherals, runs every game faster than Vista ever will (even the ones that require DirectX 10 can run with some tweaks).

    Honestly the fact that Microsoft is forcing Vista on users at every retail store has been a huge boon to our business. Because we're just about the only ones who sell machines with Windows XP, and you can get them today, NOW, we've been selling computers like hotcakes.

    Thanks Microsoft! Just keep doing what you're doing!

  7. dovella
    Posted on: July 29, 2008 at 1:12PM  

    Hey Dozer 42

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXS-BfTGn7g

    this is My XPs 1530 Dell (pay 790 Euro)

    And Software work fine all in my OLD PC

  8. john
    FeaturedCommunity
    Posted on: July 29, 2008 at 1:33PM  

    @Dozer42: Push back, and take a chill pill. How niiice of you to regurgitate crap you've heard and try to sound like you know jack!

    The worst OS in history? Because?

    No single advantage to Windows Vista your customers need? Why don't you take the time to list their requirements here so we can help you.

    So, since some people have issues with it, that is endemic of the OS?

    Microsoft does not publish Quickbooks. Intuit does. Ask them why!

    SO you're a box-pusher.

    Shame on you for

    a) Not being a good enough Microsoft partner to learn about the benefits of Windows Vista

    b) Not being a good enough consultant to correctly learn about what is best for your customers, and

    c) Not being a good enough salesman/saleswoman to actually sell a solution to your customer, instead of calling ad asking for the PO number of the day!

    So, by being a scrub, you foist an obsolete OS on unsuspecting customers in order to retain services income?

    35 seconds flat? What was the name of that series featuring Brian Benben? Yeah, dream on.

    FOrcing Windows Vista on customers at retail?

    Dozer42, shake yourself, OK? You're not selling systems like hotcakes. You're barely hanging on.

    Am I wrong?

    Then identify yourself. That way we can truly tell if you're real, or just a droid with crayons trying to get a rise from this issue.

  9. spin54
    Posted on: July 29, 2008 at 1:41PM  

    This was such a bunch of garbage.

    First, I like Vista. Lots. But this little "Experiment" that you claim isn't a marketing scheme is a bunch of crap and everyone knows it.

    I could take Ubuntu and run it in front of some computer illiterate and not let them touch it and they would give it a 10. Then let them touch it. Let them try and install it or let them try and upgrade their machine. Let them try things themselves. Their tune changes. They will run into the same crap Vista does. Incompatibilities. Etc. However they won't run into a lot of the crap Vista does such as major slowdowns. Boot up and Shut down issues. Random crashes. Not near as much anyway.

    This is a completely invalid attempt at proving perception is biased. Not a single ounce of this counts until they can actually use it themselves. These people need followed up with. Now that they have been tricked into thinking vista is so amazing and have went out and bought it, go ask them how much they still like it after trying to install it themselves. After they have actually used it for a month.

    I like Vista. I am used to it. It still has it's problems.

    If someone is going to sit down and show off all the cool features of something then of course people are going to like it.

    If this wasn't done by a trained MS rep and people were allowed to actually use the program themselves, this would have been much much more legit.

    And none of it is worthwhile if you are shoving this in front of people that have no clue about computers. These people would be absolutely amazed with google docs if they had never seen it before. You could show them VLC and they would be amazed at how "fast" it plays movies. They are clueless. Using ignorance as a marketing tool is awesome.

    There are so many little blurbs on those videos to make fun of. I mean the girl that was so amazed with Windows Flip 3D. She obviously doesn't even know about Alt-Tab. OMG! If she used alt tab in XP, she would have just said "Wow. it's alt-tab in 3D!". Give me a break.

    EPIC Fail.

    I will admit, the Virgo girl made me laugh pretty hard. People are so dilusional.

    Good times.

  10. dovella
    Posted on: July 29, 2008 at 1:53PM  

    @spin54

    Ubunttu??

    Ubuntu???

    40 min. Start up

    50 Min shutdown

    no good driver nvidia

    slow down M.A.M.E.

    crash crash crash Compiz

    crash firefox go go!!

    SLOW SLOW and SLOW

    non driver for modem USB

    non driver for more and more periph.

    PLS back in future, and see my video

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXS-BfTGn7g

    Vista is THE BEST S.O.

    and STOP

Trackbacks

  1. Posted by: Paul Mooney on July 29, 2008 at 9:44AM

    Windows ‘Mojave’ Video PostsThe Windows Vista blog has at last shared a video of the much talked about...

  2. Posted by: GottaBeMobile on July 29, 2008 at 10:23AM
  3. Posted by: Bob's Blog on July 29, 2008 at 4:26PM

    Check out the Mojave Experiment . I think you will be surprised and entertained. Background Windows Vista

  4. Posted by: David Overton's Blog on July 29, 2008 at 6:42PM

    I have to admit I really like this – take people who rate Vista as a ZERO, show them a new operating

  5. Posted by: Team Blogs at Microsoft on August 14, 2008 at 6:58PM

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