The decline of MicrosoftMicrosoft may well look back on 2007 as its annus horribilis.
After a four-year delay, it finally launched its newest operating system, Vista; many users responded with a shrug, and others with heavy criticism. Some went as far as to switch back to Windows XP, prompting Microsoft to offer a downgrade option for Windows Vista Business and Ultimate customers. Microsoft also lost $8 billion (£4 billion) on the like of the Zune music player, Windows Mobile and its Xbox games console. The sort of blunders that would have killed any other company haven't yet had a severe impact on this giant, but it's beset on all sides. IBM is after Microsoft's Office suite with its free alternative, Lotus Symphony (tinyurl.com/2mfvuq) and disgruntled Vista customers are beginning to look at Ubuntu (ubuntu.com), Openoffice (openoffice.org) and Apple's Mac range.
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