Vista has so far received a less than lukewarm reception by businesses, which is really not that surprising seeing as large companies usually wait until there’s a certain degree of stability, compatibility, and benefits before going through the hassle and expense of adopting a new version of any given operating system. But when 18 months have gone by since its release and then the largest manufacturer of processors comes out and says it isn’t going to deploy Vista, it is apparently a big deal.

According to the New York Times, after a lengthy cost-benefit analysis Intel “just found no compelling case for adopting Vista.” This is relevant for a number of factors, including the scheduled June 30 end date of mainstream Windows XP sales and the fact that Intel – a longtime Microsoft partner – could be seen as a leader for large companies still on the fence about upgrading to Vista. While their rejection (at least for the time being) may be a symbolic blow, it should further affect to the operating system’s ailing reputation.