Microsoft accused over $8.52bn Vista bill

A Washington academic has estimated just how much it cost the world to become "Vista Capable" and the figure is a very heft $8.52bn. "Vista Capable" in this sense is the term that Microsoft and IT suppliers used when Windows Vista was launched in 2006, to show that their PCs and laptops were capable if running Microsoft's operating system (OS).

An academic at the University of Washington, the economist Keith Leffler, came up with the estimate of between $3.92 billion (£2.8bn)and $8.52bn to upgrade the world's notebooks and PCs so that they can run a full version of the OS.

The question came up because of a court action taking place before US District Court Judge Marsha Pechman and the unsealing of some documents relating to the action on Wednesday. Microsoft is facing some criticism for, is is argued, misleading people over what made a PC, Vista Capable.

Microsoft said at the launch of Vista that it only needed 1GB of memory to run but 2GB would be better and also 2GB would be required if you wanted to run the Vista Aero interface. According to the legal action, as Vista needs 2GB memory to run properly, Microsoft should have made this clear.

Now 19.4 million PCs will need 1GB of memory and graphics cards or onboard chipsets to run Aero, it is argued. Leffler put the maximum cost of upgrading the desktops at $155 a shot, and suggests that the notebooks' integrated graphics would be more tricky to replace and would cost between $245 and $590 per unit. This could make a total cost of from $3.92 billion to $8.52 billion and in some cases would include complete replacements of notebooks that could not be feasibly upgraded, according to testimony from Leffler said CRN.

Microsoft could face a total price tag of $3.92 billion to $8.52 billion and in some cases if you include the complete replacements of notebooks that could not be feasibly upgraded, according to Leffler.