PC Vendors Worried About Windows 8's Future

[zakislam]

Windows PC sales have dropped by more than a fifth since Windows 8 launch.

PC Vendors Worried About Windows 8's Future : Read more

 

[TheBigTroll]

NOH really?

 

[LonelyMan]

Their punishment must be more severe.

 

[ianj14]

Well, since we are in the biggest worldwide recession since the great depression, and the IT landscape is somewhat changed with a level of platform fragmentation never seen before in MS history, I'm not surprised consumers aren't bothered by it.

 

[NightLight]

let me sum win 8 up in just a few words: great for (i)sheep, not so great for enthousiasts. it's obvious that it is made to steal some mac users back, and they made a great effort to create an ecosystem of their own. i salute ms for this bold move, but maybe they should split things up: Server, Sheep, and Enthousiasts (think NT / 2000)...

 

[Guest]

Bad word of mouth spreads like wildfire. To most Windows 7 works just fine and this seemed forced and rushed to the front. Very Vista like release. Plus no one likes metro or being forced to buy a touchscreen to take full advantage of 8. I for one wont be putting it on my desktop. It will flop.

 

[liquidchild]

Look on the sunny side...... we still have Win 7.

 

[ravinmachine]

No matter what side you sit on with the Windows 8 debate; Microsoft's 3 year development cycle is way too short. Especially since Windows 7 was such a great hit, and the world is recovering from the recession. People are happy with what they have. Maybe if they had released Windows 8 two years from now they would have done better.

 

[Guest]

You should have acted......they were already here...

 

[meluvcookies]

It continually amazes me how the common sense of boards like this one can predict the failure of something like Win8 MONTHS (if not years) in advance, and yet Microsoft (and others) continue down their paths of failure. Here's hoping that Win9 puts the "Win" back in windows.

 

[zorky9]

Most consumers who have not had the need for the W8 interface and apps nor the hardware to support it (touchscreen) will happily stick to 7. This just speaks to how good Windows 7 is.

The growing market for productivity tablets is where W8 fits better. Definitely not an underserved market, but to expect the same growth W8 would have to the level of adoption W7 enjoyed early on is overly optimistic.

 

[universal remonster]

Zak, you are seriously in need of some new topics to write about.

 

[Shin-san]

Windows 8 isn't bad. The start screen replaced the start menu. However, the touchscreen gestures seriously need fixing.

 

[spartanmk2]

Windows 7 still has 3 more years of mainstream support, and 8 more of extended support. So no need to upgrade at all really unless you prefer the windows 8 ecosystem (pc/phone/xbox)

 

[BriboCN]

[citation][nom]soldier2013[/nom]Bad word of mouth spreads like wildfire. To most Windows 7 works just fine and this seemed forced and rushed to the front. Very Vista like release. Plus no one likes metro or being forced to buy a touchscreen to take full advantage of 8. I for one wont be putting it on my desktop. It will flop.[/citation]

Yes bad word of mouth spreads very rapidly. However the program certainly was not rushed they had an open beta test period with hundreds of thousands of people participating for almost an entire year before release. It was the most tested windows ever released and likely the most tested single piece of software ever.

The issue is the metro UI really does not blend well with the standard desktop experience. With a touch based interface it is really nice but most people upgrading from windows 7 lack that hardware. If windows searched for touch based inputs and if they were found booted into metro and if not booted directly to desktop everyone would be raving about how much faster and more streamlined the OS is. This is not a Windows Vista but it proves how important first impressions can be.

PS- Not including an option for a start menu was simple arrogance. Yes, a start menu is inefficient and power users barely if ever used it, but windows is designed to be different things for different people. a simple easy to enable toggle for a start menu would have saved Microsoft a huge headache.

 

[bllue]

How about they stop making subpar hardware for once? PC vendors are literally trying to dump all the blame on MS/W8 to protect their own asses from the investors. The laptops they make today look the same as the ones from 8 years ago in terms of design (black plastic, bulky). The screen hasn't changed much either, they're still using the 1360x768 resolution they've had for like 5 years. Some laptops are still packing processors that are over 2 years old. If you want to get something decent you have to spend over $800 and even then they leave things to be desired. It's no wonder people are transitioning to tablets for everyday use. Most tablets have better hardware, better screen, better battery life and yet they cost the same as a laptop. Sure a tablet doesn't do what a laptop can but when all you want is email and basic browsing and netflix, a tablet is the way to go.

 

[burmese_dude]

Tiles = Craps

 

[bigshootr8]

I don't think people really care for the interface the constant moving back and forth between the start screen and the normal desktop is a different experience for windows users. I can't say I'm surprised with the worried pc vendors. Windows 7 had a great UI this iteration does not. It may have leaps in performance and security but people care about look feel and user experience. And windows 8 does not deliver. If I was using a phone and wanted a seem less windows experience windows 8 would be awesome even there netbook is nice just not a general desktop experience.

 

[erick81]

I didn't hate W8 when I was dual booting it alongside 7 on my computer the problem was I wasn't blown away by it either and even though I could upgrade for as little as 40 dollars why would I when 7 does everything I need and all my computers already have it.

 

[atikkur]

without TH keep sounding about win8 news.. i already forgot its existence.

 

[omnimodis78]

[citation][nom]ravinmachine[/nom]No matter what side you sit on with the Windows 8 debate; Microsoft's 3 year development cycle is way too short. Especially since Windows 7 was such a great hit, and the world is recovering from the recession. People are happy with what they have. Maybe if they had released Windows 8 two years from now they would have done better.[/citation]
Blaming the economy is convenient, but incorrect and misleading. If the product is good it will be bought, if it's not, then it won't - it's simple as that. Let's not bring the economy into this because let's remember the economic situation in the early 80's, and yet $3000 systems (not considering inflation) were selling like hotcakes. If consumers see the value in something, and it's "reasonably" affordable, it will be bought. Windows 8 is not a good OS, there, I said it.

 

[internetlad]

Didn't Zak just write this exact same article with the title "Windows PC adoption slowed by 21 percent" on friday? I'm getting deja vu.

Anyways, Win8 isn't bad. It's just windows 7 with a different start menu. Anybody who's used it. . . well, at all, can see that.

Unfortunately since everybody is shouting about it being the "new vista" all the people who can't think for themself just parrot it to their friends and back.

Windows 7 is good. Windows 8 is also good. There is almost no appreciable difference between the two.

Apple's sales are down as well, go write an article about that.

 

[sun-devil99]

[citation][nom]erick81[/nom]I didn't hate W8 when I was dual booting it alongside 7 on my computer the problem was I wasn't blown away by it either and even though I could upgrade for as little as 40 dollars why would I when 7 does everything I need and all my computers already have it.[/citation]
I could have upgraded my laptop I bought this past summer for free (after rebate), but I so no value in Windows 8 to even want to take advantage of that offer. Windows 7 works for what I need.

 

[mesab66]

+1
Arrogance and gross stupidity for not acknowledging inevitable desktop alienation.

 

[bystander]

[citation][nom]zorky9[/nom]Most consumers who have not had the need for the W8 interface and apps nor the hardware to support it (touchscreen) will happily stick to 7. This just speaks to how good Windows 7 is. The growing market for productivity tablets is where W8 fits better. Definitely not an underserved market, but to expect the same growth W8 would have to the level of adoption W7 enjoyed early on is overly optimistic.[/citation]
I agree the development is too short for most people. Though I can still see the point in doing the 3 year cycle, because it does serve is sort of a Beta for the next Windows release.