Acer, currently world’s fourth largest PC manufacturer, is the first to openly criticize- through the voice of Gianfranco Lanci, head of the Taiwan-based company- Windows Vista’s impact on PC sales worldwide.

Lanci is dissatisfied with Vista’s influence on the customers’ intentions to buy a new computer. He actually said that many customers are specifically requesting Windows XP to be installed on new laptops or desktops, instead of Vista, mainly due to the latter’s lack of stability and maturity. “Stability is certainly a problem [for Vista]”, Lanci added.

He also made a remark concerning the whole PC business, which is of course worried that Vista has the lowest influence on PC shipments from all Windows operating systems released until now. "The whole industry is disappointed with Windows Vista.” The situation isn’t likely to modify in the next 6 months.

"I really don't think that someone has bought a new PC specifically for Vista," Lanci told reporters from the German edition of Financial Times.

The funny thing is that Microsoft’s recent financial reports indicate the 13% increase in revenues registered in the first quarter of 2007 (compared to the same period last year), is mainly due to the strong sales of Windows Vista. However, the same Redmond behemoth claims that Windows XP-related revenues are expected to rise beyond predictions. Chris Liddell, MS’s chief financial officer, estimated during a meeting with analysts that XP will generate 22% of the company’s revenues in the new fiscal year, up from the previously anticipated 15%. But that means that Vista’s remaining 78% are actually inferior to internal estimates that indicated that 85% of all Windows-related revenues will be generated by the new OS.

Michael Cherry, analyst with Directions at Microsoft, said part of the problem is that users prefer lower-cost machines that might not work well with Vista.

"Most of the machines I see pitched in catalogs are in the $700 range, certainly under $1,000," said Cherry. "Computers with that amount of hardware are a better fit for XP. With Vista's requirements, people may be thinking about sticking with XP, and putting less money into the hardware."