By Scott Martin

Microsoft’s “Wow Starts Now” Vista launch was about as exciting as the McDonald’s foray into salads, but consumers are nonetheless gobbling it up.

Personal computer sales in the U.S. jumped 67 percent year-to-year in the first week after Vista went on sale on Jan. 30, researcher Current Analysis reported Thursday. The sales data “indicates that U.S. retail consumers warmly embraced Microsoft’s introduction of Vista,” the researcher said in a statement.

Sales spiked 173 percent compared with the previous week, the statement said. The figures are good news for retailers, who were experiencing particularly sluggish sales for five weeks leading up to the operating system’s release.

The $6 Billion OS

Microsoft’s $6 billion Vista project was long delayed and faced widespread skepticism over security claims and other issues. It was widely regarded as the last big software launch of its kind.

While it was the most anticipated release of software since Windows 95, consumers are generally not anxious to be the first to get their hands on new software. People often hold out for several months until any problems that arise have been fixed.

But consumers not only flocked to Vista, they went premium. Vista Home Premium was on 70 percent of U.S. PC sales during the first week the operating system was available, Current Analysis said. For notebooks, 76 percent came loaded with Vista Home Premium. Vista Home Basic was loaded on 22 percent of PCs sold.

The researcher said that Hewlett-Packard held the crown on Vista-loaded sales. HP grabbed 54 percent of the Vista Home Premium sales and did 53 percent of the Vista Home Basic version.