Could 64-bit Windows finally be taking off?

Tag : Hardware Assortment

Still, several factors have held up adoption of 64-bit computing,long after the operating system was available. First of all, therewasn't a lot of need for it. The primary advantage of 64-bitcomputing is the ability to use more than 4GB of RAM, and untilvery recently most PC buyers had little need for that much memory.Also, to connect to a computer running 64-bit Windows, printers,scanners, and other peripherals need to have a special 64-bitdriver.
But it appears the benefits are starting to outweigh the drawbacks.
In a blog post this week, Microsoft's Chris Flores noted that 20 percent of newWindows Vista PCs in the U.S. that connected to Windows Update inJune were running a 64-bit version of the OS, compared with 3percent of new computers in March.
"Put more simply, usage of 64-bit Windows Vista is growing muchmore rapidly than 32-bit," he said. "Based on current trends, thisgrowth will accelerate as the retail channel shifts to supplying arapidly increasing assortment of 64-bit desktops and laptops."
The trend is also evident by looking at the kinds of systems beingsold at retailers. In its circular this Sunday most of the desktopsand half of the dozen notebook models being advertised by OfficeDepot had the 64-bit version of Windows pre-installed.
The mix was similar in Circuit City's advertisement, with nearlyall of the desktops and many of the notebooks running 64-bitWindows
Gateway, for example, is shifting to an entirely 64-bit Windows lineup on its desktops, starting with the back-to-school shopping season.
It's a dramatic shift even from last quarter, in which only about 5percent of its total desktop and notebook models had a 64-bit OSinstalled. For the third quarter, 95 percent of desktop models and30 percent of notebook systems will have a 64-bit OS.
Among the factors leading to the shift are the fact that 64-bitmachines, unlike their 32-bit brethren, can directly address morethan 4GB of memory. Also, more 64-bit software is finally coming tomarket, as evidenced by last week's release of a 64-bit optimized version of Adobe Lightroom .
IDC analyst Richard Shim said he expects even more computers willstart shipping preloaded with 64-bit Windows toward the end of thisyear. "64-bit versions of Windows will begin to find their way intohigh-end gaming notebooks, which increasingly are being used ashigh-end notebook workstations as opposed to strictly gamingsystems," he said.