In just over a month Vista has picked up a bigger install base than both Mac and Linux

At the WinHEC 2007 trade show Microsoft's Bill Gates announced that in just five weeks Windows Vista has gained an install base of 40 million users.  That's a larger install base than for any other non-Microsoft OS. 

Here's what Gates said:

"We have been amazed by the response to Vista and what has happened in the last 100 days. So, in the first five weeks of shipping Vista, we have matched the installed base of any other operating system provider."

Now that's pretty impressive stuff.  A few days ago the blogosphere was buzzing about how the number of Mac web users had doubled over an eight month period, up to about 8%.  This was hailed by many as a huge success for Jobs and Apple.  Compared to Vista sales, this Mac increase is nothing more than a blip.

Over the past few months I've read countless comments from people who are convinced that Windows Vista is a failure and that Microsoft's business model is crumbling.  What I'd be interested in reading are explanations of how record Microsoft profits and tremendously strong Vista sales fit in with this view of Microsoft and its products.  If Vista is such a failure, why is it selling so well?  If the Mac platform is so good, why aren't sales better?

Fire away!