Mehul's thoughts on stocks & technology

I won't be far off the mark if I say that this decade clearly belonged to XP. Windows XP was first launched in 2001, and as far as I can recall, it took a while for people to give up their love for Windows 98, and move up to XP. Though the product at launch was unstable and buggy, Microsoft improved the stability and performance over time (matching Bill Gates's philosphy in 'Business@Speed of Thought'). 
Windows Vista, released worldwide in 2007, received a lukewarm response from the corporate world (though it sold twice as many copies as XP in the first month itself). The terrible initial reviews, gazillions of compatibility issues, licensing costs, very short life span etc., all fueled the corporate world's hesitation towards Vista. It even managed to get #2 spot on Tech's all time top 25 flops. 
Now that Windows 7 release date is around the corner, corporate world should get ready for the migration journey and start thinking about making some investments in IT again. While the extended support for XP won't end till 2014, I am not sure if it'll be possible for organizations to procure new copies and licenses after an year or two. Gartner is suggesting companies to move over to Windows 7 by 2011 / 2012. 
I guess, you really have to work in a large company to appreciate the time and money it takes to make this journey. There are countless internal / customized softwares and applications, all of which need to be tested for security and compatibility. That's apart from validating the OS itself. Then, the licensing costs for the OS, and other third part apps come into the picture.
This time however, no matter how much it costs the companies, they will have to migrate to Windows 7! Though companies succeeded in avoiding Vista, thanks to XP's extended availability and support, this time around, that won't be the case. I guess the good news is, the initial reviews of windows 7 are very encouraging. The OS is supposed to be a lot faster, and also a lot less annoying ( as compared to Vista)
Only time will tell how successful Windows 7 will be, but if I had to bet, I'll put all my money on Windows 7!Speaking of money, I think, as the economy gets back on the track by mid 2010, and companies get ready to invest in IT, it might be a good time to buy stocks like Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), HP (NYSE: HPQ), and Dell (NASDAQ: DELL)
My prediction about Windows 7's success should in NO way undermine my loyalty towards Apple. I remain as always, a loyal fan! :) It's just that the premium price tag and a totally different architecture keeps most of the corporate world away from the awesomeness that is APPLE! 

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