The lack of interest over Windows 8 isn’t a joke. It’s palpable.
When I was in a local computer store recently, I asked the owner how many Windows 8 units he’d sold.
“None.”
Well, he sold a couple at first, but they returned and wanted Windows 7 installed instead.
Now Lenovo, which sells far more computers than the local “Mom & Pop” store I frequent, has announced that it will no longer be shipping Windows 8.1 tablets. The reason: A lack of interest.
Hello, Microsoft?
It started as a joke but I think now it’s fact MS releases are Good, Bad, Good, Bad, Good on infinite, I look at Vista (bad) Win7 (Good) Win8 (Bad). They are trying to compete with Apple (Surface, Windows Phone) why?. The world holding on to XP should have been the wake up they needed rather than copy OSx (which itself is built on UNIX ideas) they should have worked on ‘improving’ XP. If they had done to XP (or Win 7) frame work the same as Win8 in making it start very quickly, Win 7 could get caught up in the boot process and take an age. Win 8 is an ideal system if you are using a touch screen, tablet but slightly odd if you are using it on a desktop. Please let have learnt this so Win9 or what ever has a proper start button!
Comment by glennp — July 18, 2014 @ 3:46 pm
Agreed!
I spoke with a dealer about Windows 9, right after he commented on how Windows 8 just doesn’t sell in his store. Microsoft is really hush-hush on Windows 9. In fact, the Wikipedia page is constantly being removed. Rumors are difficult to come by, but the last I heard was a 2015 release. Who knows?
All I hope is that you’re correct and Windows 9 will be good. Otherwise, consumers will make Windows 7 last for 12 years just like Windows XP!
Comment by admin — July 18, 2014 @ 3:52 pm
The only thing that’s been confirmed as far as Windows.Next is concerned is that the Start Menu is coming back. They showed it off at //BUILD/ this year and I think it was supposed to have made it into a Windows 8.1 update but was pulled at the last minute. Mary Jo Foley and company have said it’s been pushed to a 2015 release so maybe it’ll debut in Windows 9.
For what it’s worth, the new Start Menu looks mostly exactly the same as the Windows 7 one, just flattened to fit in with the rest of the Windows 8 “design.” I’ve also heard that it’ll be the default option for desktop users and that you probably can’t go to full Metro unless you buy a touchscreen or move to a tablet.
Comment by linuxlove — July 21, 2014 @ 6:57 am
That sounds like a decent solution, LL. Why they didn’t do that first with Windows 8 demonstrates some of the complete ineptness of Ballmer and the former regime.
Comment by admin — July 21, 2014 @ 7:07 am