Windows 8 Sales Well Below Projections, Plenty of Blame to Go Around

[lopri]

Uncertainty could turn Windows 8 into the next Vista

Sales of Windows 8 PCs are well below Microsoft’s internal projections and have been described inside the company as disappointing. But here’s the catch: The software giant blames the slow start on lackluster PC maker designs and availability, further justifying its new Surface strategy. But Windows 8’s market acceptance can be blamed on many factors.

 

[lopri]

No one should be surprised, I suppose.

 

[ViRGE]

It's not the next Vista, but no, I'm not surprised. It's not a compelling purchase at a time when consumers are buying $500 craptops that can't take significant advantage of Metro in the first place.

 

[lopri]

I don't think the author is using the term "Next Vista" for the quality of Windows 8, of which the underlying foundation is unequivocally improved over Windows 7 except the user experience. (although soundness of RT design is debatable) Reading his bullet points, he thinks MS will realize its misjudgment on mixing desktop with mobile (and vice versa), and try to sort it out quickly with the next iteration of Windows. (Windows 9?)

And that will be the life-and-death moment of Windows in consumer sphere, IMO.

 

[lopri]

Excerpts:

Confusing range of device types. Faced with a reimagined, touch-focused Windows that is more at home on mobile devices than traditional PCs, and responding to increasingly hysterical pleas from Microsoft to innovate more, PC makers attempted to do in hardware what Microsoft did in Windows 8’s software: Create hybrid devices that could serve all needs. Unfortunately, the result is a mess of different hybrid designs, rather than a concerted, industry-wide effort to consolidate around a few basic designs. The result is obvious: Confusion, both on the PC maker side—where different companies are pushing a variety of different design types—and with consumers, who simply don’t know which, if any, device types to make. I love Lenovo, but consider this one PC maker’s designs: The firm is selling traditional laptops and Ultrabooks, touch-based laptops and Ultrabooks, “multimode” convertible laptop/tablets (the Yoga line), a traditional convertible Ultrabook (ThinkPad Twist), slate-type tablets (ThinkPad Tablet 2), slate-type tablets with keyboard docks (IdeaPad Lynx), and then a related but separate line of Android tablets. And that’s just the portable computers.

Windows RT. Imagine Apple announcing a major new version of iOS and then releasing a new tablet that runs Mac OS X instead of that new iOS version. Doesn’t make a lick of sense, does it? Well, that’s what Microsoft did: On the day that Microsoft launched Windows 8, it also launched Surface … running Windows RT. And while Windows RT is obvious a version of Windows 8, it’s a largely incompatible version of Windows 8, and one that runs in the resource constrained ARM environment. That means no existing desktop software will run on these devices, not to mention lots of hardware. Confusing? You bet. And I actually get this stuff. What’s a typical consumer to think?

 

[lxskllr]

Diversity is strength. The author may find it "confusing" now, but it gives more options to people, and allows the refinement of design through field testing. I think it's too early to pronounce Win8's failure. It's very different, and it'll take awhile for people to determine whether it works or not. I think WinRT would be most interesting to businesses. If MS did it right, they could be the Blackberry(pre-fail) of portable computers.

 

[blurredvision]

I've always wondered how operating systems like Vista and W8 would have sold if everybody didn't dog the shit out of it to everybody they meet before even using it for more than 5 minutes.

Vista was a perfectly fine and capable OS, not worthy of its internet rep. W8 is turning out to be the same way.

 

[happysmiles]

surprised face

 

[mxnerd]

The first thing I do after upgrading to Windows 8 is install Classic Shell. The Metro or Modern (or maybe I should say Retro) UI is really nothing but junk for desktop.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

I don't see how the variety in hybrid designs we are seeing is a bad thing, the best thing about windows 8 is it has caused a ton of innovation in the laptop space.

 

[Maximilian]

Not surprised, it is the first windows OS i have decided to skip completely.

 

[owensdj]

Vista was a perfectly fine and capable OS, not worthy of its internet rep. W8 is turning out to be the same way.

The first Vista machines I connected to a domain had network speeds as slow as dial-up. Literally. I had to find out how to turn off network auto-tuning to get the same network performance as the Windows XP machines. Vista had a lot of problems. That's why Windows 7 was released so soon after it. Win7 was just Vista with the problems fixed that Microsoft should have fixed the first time.

I expect the same thing will happen with Win8. There will be a Win9 fairly soon that will correct Microsoft's Metro UI mistake.

 

[Chiefcrowe]

I'm still kind of on the fence but if I do end up getting win8, i probably will modify it.

I think tablet users will be happy with it but not sure about desktop.
Although one of my friends does enjoy having a touch enabled big monitor in 7 so he may like 8.

 

[GrumpyMan]

Well with stories like this making the news:

http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/11/20/windows-8-killed-my-pc/?iid=H_T_News

 

[mxnerd]

I don't see how the variety in hybrid designs we are seeing is a bad thing, the best thing about windows 8 is it has caused a ton of innovation in the laptop space.

It's only good for laptops with multi-touch screen. Most existing laptops don't have it. It's still useless and absolutely confusing & frustrating.

Windows 8 installation should detect whether the hardware has touch screen or not and make desktop with start menu UI or Metro UI the default. Not blatantly force the disgusting hybrid UI to all users.

Although I don't like Apple at all, but at least Apple does not force iOS UI onto their Mac desktops & laptops.

 

[jhansman]

Such is the nature of projections, whoever makes them. Me? I try things before making up my mind, but hey, that's just me.

 

[Mem]

I've always wondered how operating systems like Vista and W8 would have sold if everybody didn't dog the shit out of it to everybody they meet before even using it for more than 5 minutes.

Vista was a perfectly fine and capable OS, not worthy of its internet rep. W8 is turning out to be the same way.

Thats' the problem too much FUD around and a lot of people listen to FUD regardless,I will say Win8 has only been out a month or so so still early days,also did it not sale over 4 million in the first 4 days?..
I 'll say I find Win8 very easy to navigate around now and that's from a gamer/desktop user(been using PC since DOS 6.xx days) .

One thing I've learned never listen to websites/reviewers or other people,try something yourself and give it much more time then five minutes and be open minded.
I just wish my Planetside 2 download would hurry up so I can do some happy gaming on Win8,reviewers eat that .

 

[bigrash]

I'm not surprised. I'm still getting used to Metro. Wish I stayed with Windows 7.

 

[Remobz]

I'm not surprised. I'm still getting used to Metro. Wish I stayed with Windows 7.

Problem is that Microsoft will force Windows 7 users like me to upgrade by making Windows 8 software exclusive (Dir X 11.1 for example).

I need to purchase another OS for another machine I am building but I feel a little forced to get Windows 8 for the new build

 

[tcsenter]

Well with stories like this making the news:

http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/11/20/windows-8-killed-my-pc/?iid=H_T_News

Uggh, here we go again (e.g. why didn't Microsoft make drivers for my Lenovo, ATI, Marvell...et. al., why didn't Microsoft put all the drivers for every device in the world into a ~4GB install image....why didn't Microsoft test everyone's hardware to make sure they all worked before releasing Windows 8....blah blah blah).

 

[Hugo Drax]

Windows 8 forced UI changes are idiotic. Why is it on a large monitor I have to move the mouse all the way to the prefect magical corner so I can get this magic popup that allows me to go back to the metro start menu?

Why hide parts of the UI? why make people have to hunt for them like easter eggs? What exactly is the purpose of this?

 

[GrumpyMan]

Uggh, here we go again (e.g. why didn't Microsoft make drivers for my Lenovo, ATI, Marvell...et. al., why didn't Microsoft put all the drivers for every device in the world into a ~4GB install image....why didn't Microsoft test everyone's hardware to make sure they all worked before releasing Windows 8....blah blah blah).

Well to be fair to that guy, he was complaining that he found the drivers for his hardware, they just wouldn't install in W8 even though they were made for W8, if you would of read the article and not even tech support could get them to install.

 

[tcsenter]

Well to be fair to that guy, he was complaining that he found the drivers for his hardware, they just wouldn't install in W8 if you would of read the article.

I read the article, he obtained them from Lenovo and then impliedly blamed Microsoft because they wouldn't install and/or were responsible for 'killing' his machine.

 

[Hugo Drax]

Well to be fair to that guy, he was complaining that he found the drivers for his hardware, they just wouldn't install in W8 even though they were made for W8, if you would of read the article.

That article is a perfect example of why 95% of PC buyers keep the OS that shipped with the PC and don't go through the pains of upgrading to a new OS on a working PC.

 

[GrumpyMan]

I read the article, he obtained them from Lenovo and then impliedly blamed Microsoft because they wouldn't install and/or were responsible for 'killing' his machine.

Sorry no excuse for a 3 month old purchase, whether it's Lenovo's or MS's fault. He is not talking about old hardware.