Initial shipments of Windows 98, the next version of Microsoft Corp.'s operating system, will fall 15% short of its predecessor's levels, according to International Data Corp.
Windows 98 shipments are expected to reach 12.8 million during 1998, compared with 19.5 million shipments of Windows 95 when it was released in 1995, IDC said in a statement this week.
With the release of Windows 98, businesses are likely to wait between six months and two years to change operating systems, in part because they are uncertain whether Windows 98, Windows NT Workstation 5.0 or some other operating system is best for them, the statement said.
In 2000, however, Windows 98 shipments should jump 55%, fueled by consumers and upgrades, according to the statement. In 2000, Microsoft will ship 66 million copies of Windows 98, compared to the 53 million copies of Windows 95 which shipped in its third year, it said.
Windows 98 is scheduled to be shipped to manufacturers at the end of this week and be released to consumers next month. IDC's projections do not include delays that may ensue from antitrust actions which the U.S. Department of Justice and at least 10 U.S. state attorneys general are currently considering.
