Two days ago I reported that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was cautious about 'overly aggressive' forecasts for Windows Vista. Ballmer went on to say that Vista's slow retail start can be attributed to piracy which is become increasingly popular in emerging markets. It appears that Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and Ballmer haven't had much communication on the matter recently. Reuters asked Gates about any trepidation Microsoft might have about the outlook for Vista to which he responded "I don't know what you mean. Vista's had an incredible reception.The reviews have been fantastic. This is a big, big advance in the Windows platform. It's the world's most used piece of software... Overall, the reliability feedback has been, well, better than we expected."

Whoa! :-) Well, I don't think people will go out and buy the OS off the retail shelves. I do think people will go buy a new PC with Vista installed. Reason, well because it's the only choice now. The big PC manufacturers are selling PC's with Vista on it.