Survey: Vista Can Wait

That awareness isn't necessarily translating into new customers, though.

In the survey, 60% of respondents said that the arrival of Vista has had no impact on their decision to purchase a new PC, and that they will upgrade to a new machine as they planned prior to the announcement of Vista.

Only 20% said Vista would cause them to accelerate their PC purchase.

Retail PC sales spiked in the first days of Vista availability. But sales have cooled in the weeks since the initial buying frenzy, according to market research firm Current Analysis.

That's because the initial wave of buying was led by so-called early adopters -- gearheads who get their kicks standing outside stores at midnight to be the first on their block with the latest toy.

As the more mainstream consumers consider Vista, fears of software bugs and compatibility with other hardware can cause some reluctance to upgrade.

Indeed, some computer makers continue to offer consumer PCs featuring the older Windows XP to satisfy cautious customers.

"Microsoft has faced this challenge before with operating system upgrades," said Milton Ellis, vice president of Harris Interactive's technology group in a statement. "Consumers tend to wait until a few service packs have been released to fix real or perceived problems. No doubt, Microsoft understands these issues and will proceed accordingly."

Shares of Microsoft closed Thursday up 5 cents to $28.55.

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