Microsoft is tacitly admitting that the Vista rollout has issues: they are quietly informing OEM's that they can include an XP "downgrade" with no objections from Microsoft. CNet Reports:

While Microsoft is still pushing Vista hard, the company is quietly allowing PC makers to offer a "downgrade" option to buyers that get machines with the new operating system but want to switch to Windows XP.

Now, if Vista were a roaring success, we wouldn't be seeing this kind of thing. I suspect that MS ought to downsize their OS development staff by about 90%, and lock what's left in an off-campus building...