Could 64-bit Vista finally be taking off?

Tag : Hardware Assortment

If you build it, it appears they will come, eventually.
Such is the case with 64-bit computing. AMD launched 64-bit chipsfor the desktop back in 2003, hoping the fact that it was there and didn't costextra would convince consumers.
"Our industry, right now, is hungry for another round ofinnovation," AMD chief Hector Ruiz told the crowd at the SanFrancisco launch in September 2003. Not that hungry, apparently.
Of course, the hardware wasn't much use without a 64-bit operatingsystem. After several fits and starts, Microsoft finally released a64-bit version of Windows XP in the fall of 2005.
Still, several factors have held up adoption of 64-bit computing,long after the operating system was available. First of all, therewasn't much need for it. The primary advantage of 64-bit computingis the ability to use more than 4GB of RAM, and until very recentlymost PC buyers had little need for that much memory. Also, toconnect to a computer running 64-bit Windows, printers, scannersand other peripherals need to have a special 64-bit driver.
But it appears the benefits are starting to outweigh the drawbacks.
In a blog post this week, Microsoft's Chris Flores noted that 20 per cent of new Windows Vista PCs in the US that connectedto Windows Update in June were running a 64-bit version of the OS,compared with 3 per cent 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 thedesktops and half of the dozen laptop models being advertised by USretailer Office Depot had the 64-bit version of Windowspre-installed. The mix was similar in competitor Circuit City'sadvertisement, with nearly all of the desktops and many of thelaptops running 64-bit Windows.
US PC maker 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 5per cent of its total desktop and laptop models had a 64-bit OSinstalled. For the third quarter, 95 per cent of desktop models and30 per cent of laptop 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 optimised version of Adobe Lightroom .
IDC analyst Richard Shim said he expects even more computers willstart shipping preloaded with 64-bit Windows towards the end ofthis year. "64-bit versions of Windows will begin to find their wayinto high-end gaming notebooks, which increasingly are being usedas high-end notebook workstations as opposed to strictly gamingsystems," he said.