Microsoft Blames PC Vendors for Poor Windows 8 Sales

[mike chambers]

Holy crap. Microsoft has nobody to blame but themselves. If you go back and read posts around the web from throughout the entire time they were providing the preview releases, the overwhelming majority STRONGLY disliked (and many flat-out hated) the new start screen. Almost everybody said they would love 8 if they just were given the option to use the old start menu. So what does Microsoft do? They ignore the users.

Now they're surprised it's not selling well, and blaming the PC vendors for it. What?!?! Well, Microsoft, why the f**k are you designing your newest OS for hardware that pretty much doesn't exist in the market? Maybe that has something to do with it. Just a thought, but what do I know? I'm only the end user. What I want in an OS is irrelevant, Mr. Ballmer?

Bill Gates really needs to come back to Microsoft and reclaim the throne so Ballmer can go back to sweating profusely and throwing chairs at things. Say what you will about Gates, but there's no denying that he knew how to run the company. He knew that you have to design the OS based on what the end user wants, instead of exactly what they don't want and tell them "too bad, get used to it because you aren't going to have a choice." That is business 101.

 

[GreaseMonkey_62]

MS to PC vendors: "You're holding it wrong."

 

[lpedraja2002]

Solution:

1) Bring a new CEO in and fire Ballmer. Vista and Windows 8 were a mistake. But the decision to divide the user experience by making one castrated tablet (Surface RT) and one incredibly useful real working tablet (Surface Pro) should be the final nail in Ballmer's coffin.

2)Bring back Sinofsky, if he truly is the God who lead Windows 7 to life then he deserves to be back in Microsoft.

3) Fix the huge fragmentation that exists within Windows 8 between Metro and Desktop. Metro isn't just a new start button it is basically another environment altogether, this was their biggest mistake. Making you download apps that work only in Metro mode and not in Desktop mode, thus creating an annoying back and forth switch between different interfaces, it is completely unnecessary and ruins the experience that could have been achieved with full integration.

4) Make a freaking proper tutorial on using Metro! I forced myself to learn Windows 8 since I'm to go to guy on anything PC and each time I notice that people have no freaking clue how the hell they're supposed to use Metro or navigate it for that matter. People have learned to "master" Windows for more than a decade only to have this new "thing" forced into them without any help whatsoever except 2 crappy vague explanations given when one is installing the OS, which is easily missed by all.

5) Use real customer feedback! FFS, I do not get this at all. Microsoft has a freaking official forum filled with request and all kinds of shit yet when they are releasing a new product they allegedly say it received good user feedback (Windows 8) only to launch to bad reviews and bad support from other OEM's. I'm still waiting for a damn reset button on the volume mixer so all apps will use the same volume as the speaker and this has been requested so many times yet they have done nothing.


Microsoft you need a new change in direction. You have the resources to make all of these trivial changes happen, you can be number one again. Just listen to your customers and stop trying to imitate the competition.

 

[mike chambers]

[citation][nom]lpedraja2002[/nom]Solution:1) Bring a new CEO in and fire Ballmer. Vista and Windows 8 were a mistake. But the decision to divide the user experience by making one castrated tablet (Surface RT) and one incredibly useful real working tablet (Surface Pro) should be the final nail in Ballmer's coffin. 2)Bring back Sinofsky, if he truly is the God who lead Windows 7 to life then he deserves to be back in Microsoft. 3) Fix the huge fragmentation that exists within Windows 8 between Metro and Desktop. Metro isn't just a new start button it is basically another environment altogether, this was their biggest mistake. Making you download apps that work only in Metro mode and not in Desktop mode, thus creating an annoying back and forth switch between different interfaces, it is completely unnecessary and ruins the experience that could have been achieved with full integration.4) Make a freaking proper tutorial on using Metro! I forced myself to learn Windows 8 since I'm to go to guy on anything PC and each time I notice that people have no freaking clue how the hell they're supposed to use Metro or navigate it for that matter. People have learned to "master" Windows for more than a decade only to have this new "thing" forced into them without any help whatsoever except 2 crappy vague explanations given when one is installing the OS, which is easily missed by all.5) Use real customer feedback! FFS, I do not get this at all. Microsoft has a freaking official forum filled with request and all kinds of shit yet when they are releasing a new product they allegedly say it received good user feedback (Windows 8) only to launch to bad reviews and bad support from other OEM's. I'm still waiting for a damn reset button on the volume mixer so all apps will use the same volume as the speaker and this has been requested so many times yet they have done nothing. Microsoft you need a new change in direction. You have the resources to make all of these trivial changes happen, you can be number one again. Just listen to your customers and stop trying to imitate the competition.[/citation]

Sinofsky was ONE of the guys leading the Windows 7 team, but he also is the one who convinced the top brass at Microsoft that it was necessary to remove the start menu for Windows 8, and force the new metro UI on all users. He needs to stay gone. Forever.

 

[mike chambers]

[citation][nom]master9716[/nom]Your future is Microsofts design , If they say you sheep need windows 8 then you sheep need windows 8, Windows 8 is an adjustment but its needed for the future of tablets , programs like Stardock make it work just like windows 7[/citation]

Care to explain why it's needed for the future of tablets? Windows 8 is mainly for desktop PCs. Why would it have been a problem for the future of tablets if Microsoft allowed users to switch to classic mode if they want to? That's what is happening anyway, except people had to buy a third-party application to bring it back since the feature isn't built into the OS like it should have been in the first place.

 

[diddo]

[citation][nom]rex 13[/nom]The real reason you all are screaming so hard is that you know that no matter what, Windows 8 will be on enough PCs to alter the course of computing. You are all hitting the boards as hard as you can to see if you can actually change this. Sorry, but for every one of you out there complaining, someone else has moved on.[/citation]
Sorry mr Baldmer, this is not going to happen. W8 costy launch brought only 2.3% of user base, see netapplications stats. It was growing an astonishingly insignificant 0.3% month lately, even if sold discounted, that means you woul need 25 years to accomplish what you just said with this adoption rate, assuming no ones kick your beloved ms out of business.
Get real, winpc -only vendors are failing and starting asking money to ms to stay alive just to lose money just like bing... last quarter for the first time ms reduced net profit in a quarter of a major windows release...
Dead man walking mr Baldmer, game over for Microsoft.

 

[diddo]

So ms blames manufacturer because poor hardware choices doomed 8... interesting teory, if you mind the acts 1) they work closely with oem putting severe hardware guidelines 2) soho touch hardware, even powered by ms, exists since at least a decade 3) touch hardware is so mainstream either for any kind of authomation and for consumer market that is plainly ridiculous to talk about shortages or early adopter issues 4) they built surface as they liked the most, but it is selling so bad they already cut production orders by 50% 5) they throw away ce, so basically they thrown away the 80% of the low power market,m which is emerging to compete with pc... do you believe a 40 gb operating system on set to boxes, smart tv, routers etc? They thrown away business opportunities, why blaming others for non making uo for their own bad decisions?

 

[JefferyD90]

I still don't see why people don't like Windows 8 for a Desktop... oh wait its probably cause you didn't actually watch any of the instructional videos or maybe you decided to ignore Microsoft just like the OEMs did. In every way, shape, form, and fashion Windows 8 IS BETTER than Windows 7. And I loved Windows 7. Just because you don't know how to use Windows 8 does not mean its a poor OS, it actually does everything Windows 7 did and then some. The Start Screen is actually very wonderful, it provides a much better interface than a menu where you have to have 2-3 clicks to get to any program, with the Start Screen everything is one click away. Is something not on your Start Screen (like the calculator)? Just type it while on the Start Screen, and poof there it is!!! Wonder where all your admin tools are (cmd, disk management, device manager, ect)? Just mouse down to the bottom left hand corner and right click... (I bet I just blew 1000s of "power users" minds with that one... Just because your ignorant and don't know how to use it, doesn't mean its horrible.

 

[lpedraja2002]

[citation][nom]JefferyD90[/nom]I still don't see why people don't like Windows 8 for a Desktop... oh wait its probably cause you didn't actually watch any of the instructional videos or maybe you decided to ignore Microsoft just like the OEMs did. In every way, shape, form, and fashion Windows 8 IS BETTER than Windows 7. And I loved Windows 7. Just because you don't know how to use Windows 8 does not mean its a poor OS, it actually does everything Windows 7 did and then some. The Start Screen is actually very wonderful, it provides a much better interface than a menu where you have to have 2-3 clicks to get to any program, with the Start Screen everything is one click away. Is something not on your Start Screen (like the calculator)? Just type it while on the Start Screen, and poof there it is!!! Wonder where all your admin tools are (cmd, disk management, device manager, ect)? Just mouse down to the bottom left hand corner and right click... (I bet I just blew 1000s of "power users" minds with that one... Just because your ignorant and don't know how to use it, doesn't mean its horrible.[/citation]

Hah, you think people don't like Windows 8 because they don't know how to use it? The people who are complaining are the true power users who have known Windows inside and out for more than a decade and can truly see that the designs in Windows 8 are catered for the foolish consumer who would rather waste time on his PC than to work. All the "pretty interfaces" are more than welcome except when it serves no purpose other than being pretty and in facts fragments the user experience beyond fixing. They need to redesign Metro and truly merge it with Windows, not just tackle it on the side. If you don't know what this means then its ok, if you like it then thats fine too, but don't be so foolish to start accusing people of ignorance when you're clearly the one who is lacking half a conscience.

 

[simc833]

Been using WIN8 since release. Now I still see "Metro" couple times a week (mostly by accident). Running in desktop mode with a WIN7 machine side-by-side, there isn't much difference. But that's the point, why would I want to spend extra money for WIN8. For whatever it "offers" more than WIN7 I couldn't care less. But I do care that I have to spend $60 extra for the "pro" upgrade just to join the domain. Just to show how much this OS worth to me, I still have 2 unused $14.99 upgrade coupon I let expire (those only work for WIN7 or older OS). MS said touch-screen is the future. That may be so for screen up to maybe 14~15 inches. I don't see why you want touch interface for a 27" or larger screens. In fact anybody dare to walk in my office and put a finger on my 3 beautiful 27" IPS screens will have their domain privilege revoked for a week (ok, maybe not that bad...)

 

[JefferyD90]

Hah, you think people don't like Windows 8 because they don't know how to use it? The people who are complaining are the true power users who have known Windows inside and out for more than a decade and can truly see that the designs in Windows 8 are catered for the foolish consumer who would rather waste time on his PC than to work. All the "pretty interfaces" are more than welcome except when it serves no purpose other than being pretty and in facts fragments the user experience beyond fixing. They need to redesign Metro and truly merge it with Windows, not just tackle it on the side. If you don't know what this means then its ok, if you like it then thats fine too, but don't be so foolish to start accusing people of ignorance when you're clearly the one who is lacking half a conscience.

I dare you to name 1 specific process that is quicker in Windows 7 (which once again, I loved) compared to Windows 8.

 

[tommyboy90]

omg Microsoft are becoming a joke!! it is because Windows 8 is poo and I had to take it off my brand new hp computer I bought and had to put windows 7 64 bit on.

 

[NoWin8]

Windows 8 was not conceived for desktop PC and it sucks at best. Microsoft simply wants a chunk of Apple shares. Microsoft should respect desktop users or they will continue using previous versions of Windows for a great long time! Not everyone considers a tablet a computer. Tablets are a great marketing ploy for selling songs, movies and pictures. If I buy a new desktop, I will ask for Windows 7 or else the manufacturer will keep is machine or I will find a copy of Windows 7!!! Wake up Microsoft!!!

 

[jeffpa]

The computers were fine until Microsoft made them put Windows 8 on them.
MS would have been better off getting XP and Vista users to upgrade by discounting Widows 7.

 

[ern88]

The reason I guess Steve Ballbaby blames the PC industry is because everyone don't have touch screen monitors in their homes. Well Steve, buy me 3 x 24" touch screens and I'll buy Windows 8 LMAO

 

[ern88]

The reason I guess Steve Ballbaby blames the PC industry is because everyone don't have touch screen monitors in their homes. Well Steve, buy me 3 x 24" touch screens and I'll buy Windows 8 LMAO

 

[ern88]

If Steve Ballbaby buys me 3 x 24" touch screens, Then I'll buy Windows 8!!!!

 

[littleleo]

There is no one to blame for poor Windows 8 sales other then Steve the head of MS. I hear MS spent 1.5 billion on advertising for Windows 8. Can anyone list 3 reasons to move from Windows 7 to Windows 8? Just 3 features and benefits that Windows 8 gives you that makes it worthwhile to do so. I have friends that didn't even know there was a new Windows 8 O/S out. The only commercials I've seen have are like a bad Music-man musical with people dancing with tablets, not very informative. Steve has to go!