Windows 8 Sales Well Below Projections

[skaertus]

Will Windows 8 be XP, Vista or 7?

Apparently, Windows XP had a lackluster start, but caught up and became very successful.

Sales of Windows Vista began well, but it turned out to be a disappointment later on.

Windows 7 was a good seller from the beginning.

And Windows 8, what will it be? It may be a little too early to tell. Sales may catch up, or perhaps they won't. It will depend on how people will see it.

Microsoft is right in one aspect: hardware has been far from overwhelming so far. There are some interesting designs, but that's it. The Acer Aspire S7, the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga and the Sony Vaio Duo seemed all OK, but definitely lacking something. The Dell XPS 12 looks good, but perhaps only because I haven't seen one live. They look promise, though, and in the future, when Haswell comes out, and some corners are cut, some products may become really good. As of now, however, none of them can even compare to the retina MacBook Pros.

 

[Jibbajabba]

They've taken a huge gamble with Metro which seems to be really struggling with consumers. To put it in their flagship product (Windows) was a huge risk.

Not necessarily, making it mandatory - EVEN on Server 2012 - was. S

 

[balamw]

The Acer Aspire S7, the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga and the Sony Vaio Duo seemed all OK, but definitely lacking something.

I took a look at the Ideabook Yoga this past weekend. It's definitely an interesting concept, but it just seemed to big and heavy for me for use as a tablet.

I wish they had had one of the new ARM Chromebook's as that may be the ideal from a price/performance POV.

I've got W8 on my Windows desktop only for now and think I could get used to it. (The only other box I'd consider upgrading is my 2009 MBP, but I'm waiting on that.)

B

 

[skaertus]

I took a look at the Ideabook Yoga this past weekend. It's definitely an interesting concept, but it just seemed to big and heavy for me for use as a tablet.

Interesting, but it didn't impress me. Just a laptop that converts into a tablet. No premium parts, no IPS screen.

I wish they had had one of the new ARM Chromebook's as that may be the ideal from a price/performance POV.

I've seen a Chromebook, but it was not impressive as well. Cheap, of course, but lacks features. Not something I would consider. But I agree that it has its appeal.

I've got W8 on my Windows desktop only for now and think I could get used to it. (The only other box I'd consider upgrading is my 2009 MBP, but I'm waiting on that.)

B

Windows 8 is something one can get used to. But the tolerance of some with its interface won't stop it from being a disaster. I just don't see it catching up soon after all the bad word-of-mouth I've listening to.

 

[ReanimationN]

Windows 8 seems to have a real buzz around it. I went into a JB Hi-Fi (a big Australian electronics retailer) the other day to grab a new album and saw a decent crowd of people checking all the Windows 8 devices there. A store employee gave everyone looking an explanation of all the new features, how the new start screen works and so on. I heard a lot of positive remarks from the people watching- "So I can run all my old programs as well as all these touchscreen ones? I like the sound of that.", "It's very nice looking", "It seems really fast!", but there were also a few people voicing concerns about it, mostly about the lack of the Start button and confusion over the lack of the traditional minimise, maximise and close buttons in the new Metro apps. The guy giving the demo did a really good job of differentiating Windows 8 from RT, making it clear to everyone there that if they wanted to use all their existing programs, they'd need to buy a device with Windows 8 on it. Microsoft needs to invest in giving as many public demos of the OS as they can. People seem to really like it when they see it in action and have it explained to them.

 

[marc11]

I actually think windows 8 is a very good concept but it will only takeoff with surface pro...

The ipad and android tablets are good devices for media consumption.
But the surface pro can be a tablet to reply be productive, do some actual work and also do some couch or casual browsing...

That is something the ipad and android can never do...
They are based on mobile phone operating systems, and are limited by nature...

Also, their stores are low budget apps...
Everybody buys angry birds or another game for one dollar...
But because everyone thinks a mobile app for 20 bucks is too expensive, nobody develops serious apps for the Android or ipad ecosystems.

That's where Microsoft Windows 8 ecosystem can take off...
A serious platform, for both work and leisure, with devices that can be as powerfull as a desktop computer, as convenient as a tablet and as present as a mobile phone. All in sync and based on the same source code...

It is just the beginning for Microsoft, but from my understanding, they are already ahead of the game...

Cheers

--

 

[Faux Carnival]

Metro UI is just spectacular! Clean, simple, elegant, hard-edged, no skeuomorph.

However, the average user is too conservative to switch. Just yet. But what Microsoft is trying to do is going to be a big hit: Windows 8 + Windows Phone 8 + Skydrive + Xbox + Office integration. And Metro all over the place!

 

[Rogifan]

Metro UI is just spectacular! Clean, simple, elegant, hard-edged, no skeuomorph.

However, the average user is too conservative to switch. Just yet. But what Microsoft is trying to do is going to be a big hit: Windows 8 + Windows Phone 8 + Skydrive + Xbox + Office integration. And Metro all over the place!

Seems to me there's a lot of wasted space in Metro. And it's too flat for my taste. Plus the live tiles are a hot mess.

Here's a good article that summarizes all the problems with Windows 8: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/windows-8.html

 

[SlCKB0Y]

Here's a good article that summarizes all the problems with Windows 8: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/windows-8.html

Very good article!

 

[Renzatic]

Plus the live tiles are a hot mess.

I hear "hot mess" one more time, and I'm gonna snap. It's up there with "lipstick on a pig" for phrases abused by Apple people with one track minds.

 

[jmgregory1]

The live tiles remind me of a slot machine, trying to get people's attention with bright colors and movement. If MS would just add live sound to the live tiles, I'd know without a doubt that is where they got their inspiration from.

 

[Rogifan]

I hear "hot mess" one more time, and I'm gonna snap. It's up there with "lipstick on a pig" for phrases abused by Apple people with one track minds.

I'm sorry but to me it is a hot mess. Not so much on windows phones but desktops for sure. I don't see what's visually appealing about this:

You have the Metro app icons which are very flat and all white mixed in with other app icons which are not flat and are very colorful/busy. Doesn't seem cohesive at all. In a similar vein I hate what Apple did with iOS 6 from a UI standpoint. In the share/options feature you have a mixture of colored app icons (mail, Facebook, Twitter, iMessage) and silver and gray icons (print, copy bookmark, etc.). Also I hate how the status bar color is different depending where you are - Mail, Calendar, Messages, Phone and Contacts are blue; others like Safari, iTunes and App Store are black, and photos is grey. WTF?!?

 

[Renzatic]

I'm sorry but to me it is a hot mess. Not so much on windows phones but desktops for sure. I don't see what's visually appealing about this...

The biggest problem with that shot is the godawful eye searing green background making everything blend together way too much. When you actually play with Metro a bit, you realize that all those colorful squares draw attention to themselves, and stand out from all the others around it. You'll never have trouble finding anything.

Though I will admit it's not the prettiest app launcher UI around, it isn't all that difficult to use.

 

[ChrisTX]

The OS is very confusing to use. No simplicity in the sense, that even experienced users using it for the first time will have a lot of questions. The iPad is very self explanatory, but the surface is just a mess. I was thinking of upgrading my parents to Windows 8, but not this time around.

 

[Rogifan]

The biggest problem with that shot is the godawful eye searing green background making everything blend together way too much. When you actually play with Metro a bit, you realize that all those colorful squares draw attention to themselves, and stand out from all the others around it. You'll never have trouble finding anything.

Though I will admit it's not the prettiest app launcher UI around, it isn't all that difficult to use.

I'm sure there are ways to make it look better, but even the Microsoft promotional pics are a mess of colors that don't go together IMHO. I'm all about consistency. That's one of the problems with iOS. You have iTunes which is different shades of grey and then abominations like Game Center, find my friends and the podcast app which are skeuomrphic to the hilt and gawd awful.

 

[Renzatic]

I'm sure there are ways to make it look better, but even the Microsoft promotional pics are a mess of colors that don't go together IMHO. I'm all about consistency. That's one of the problems with iOS. You have iTunes which is different shades of grey and then abominations like Game Center, find my friends and the podcast app which are skeuomrphic to the hilt and gawd awful.

It's not like MS has ever been good at picking the best colors for anything. You look for any Windows 7 screenshots, and you get these shots of HOLY CRAP NEON BLUE SEE THROUGH GLASS WITH CRAPTONS OF WIDGETS SMEARED EVERYWHERE AIN'T IT JUST SO NEAT! Nothing they've ever done is pretty by default.

..but at least they let you change the colors and make it look decent enough.

And yeah, I agree with you about iOS, which is weird because one of the things I liked best about OSX is it's consistency. I don't get why they had to make the top bar turn baby blue or funky green to match whatever app you're in, or how, like you said, some apps look completely different than others. It's like Apple is forgetting everything they've learned over the past decade or so.

 

[Technarchy]

Windows 8 is a transitional product. It's a half way point between old style Windows navigation and interaction, and newer iOS inspired touch, lean, simplistic interface.

The reason for the desktop mode is legacy software that will never be "metro" optimized.

If MSFT just dumped desktop, it would affect billions of dollars worth of software and technology investment. It would be undeployable.

I personally like Windows 8. Much more than Windows 7 in fact.

 

[spinedoc77]

The problem with Metro is that it's not economical like the start menu in Win7 was. You can't create folders, folders would allow you to be much more efficient. I like to have a lot of programs, and I find myself scrolling thru infinite pages just to find it. I understand the search function, but sometimes I'm not sure what I'm looking for.

I think if they just allowed more customization of Metro as a replacement to the start button it would go a long way, just something as simple as allowing folders.

For now I've reinstalled my Start button, I use Classic Start Menu (free) and it works beautifully, I can configure it to be exactly like Win7. It's a shame because I find myself pretty much ignoring Metro 99% of the time, and this is on a windows touch tablet where it's designed for!!

edit: I know you can pin folders, but it's kind of not intuitive, and doesn't match the flow of Metro, and they open up in desktop anyway.

 

[Renzatic]

I know you can pin folders, but it's kind of not intuitive, and doesn't match the flow of Metro, and they open up in desktop anyway.

This is probably one of the reasons why I seem to like the new start screen better than most people. To me, it isn't the Entirely Separate OS Layered On Top of Windows, it's simply...dramatic pause...The Launcher.

It's the place I put all the shortcuts for programs I like having around, but don't want to clutter up my taskbar with. When you think of it like that, it works great. Better than the old start menu.

...unless, like you said, you have a ton of apps.

 

[Cod3rror]

Metro is a mistake plain and simple. Why would Microsoft ignore history and try to push it down people's throats? Let's look back....

1. Zune = FAIL. Metro probably was born here.
2. Windows Phone 7 and 7.5 = Fail. Die hard fans will try to say otherwise but it is a failure.
3. Windows 8 Preview = FAIL. Bloggers and beta testers were bitching left and right about it.

Metro just is not taking off and there needs to be a serious rethink at Microsoft. I believe new leadership is needed.

Steve Ballmer refuses to give up the reigns and will fire any executive that seems to be gaining momentum for the top spot. He fires them all. ELOP, Ozzie, and now Steve S. have gotten the ax.

Steve has no vision and clings to the past.

A month ago, I'd have agreed with you without hesitation and if you look through my history of posts, I pretty much agree with you that Metro is an absolute failure! Everything it touches, fails.

Then I tried, Microsoft's redesigned Metro web apps... Mail, SkyDrive and Contacts, I have to say I'm blown away by how good these products are. Metro is awesome on those! I love it!

So now I think that Metro and the ribbon UI CAN be good, if designed well.

Metro in Windows 8 is terrible IMO, the side scrolling is a horrible UI paradigm... the information should scroll up and down, not to the side.

As an example just download Google Search app and compare it with the Bing app, search for images on both and have a look... the results from Google's are much easier to "acquire" because they scroll traditionally... vertically. You also get more information(thumbnails) on the screen. Bing app goes side ways and is unintuitive.

Compare SkyDrive app for the Metro on Windows 8 with the web app. The web app blows it away in functionality and aesthetics too.

IMO, they just did a bad job with the Metro in Windows 8. They should give people more functionality, more power and change the UI scrolling paradigm to vertical... at least for desktops and laptops.

As for the Surface, I agree with other here, Surface RT is a joke, I'll never consider buying it. Surface Pro though, looks like an interesting product that really can replace a tablet AND a laptop for you.

 

[balamw]

Then I tried, Microsoft's redesigned Metro web apps... Mail, SkyDrive and Contacts, I have to say I'm blown away by how good these products are. Metro is awesome on those! I love it!

Compare SkyDrive app for the Metro on Windows 8 with the web app. The web app blows it away in functionality and aesthetics too.

Color me confused.

Which is better, the web app or metro-W8 Skydrive?

B

 

[spinedoc77]

Color me confused.

Which is better, the web app or metro-W8 Skydrive?

B

The metro app is ok, it's not bad, but I think it suffers from the "iOS syndrome" where things are dumbed down for no good reason. Most of the metro apps are like that, it's as if Microsoft wants to throw away their advantage in having a real OS with making toy apps like Apple does. Case in point, Internet Explorer 10 is really really horrible and I avoid it like the plague. Same with mail, I use hotmail and it has much more functionality than the mail program, plus I'm usually in my browser anyway so to actually switch to another program to check mail is unintuitive for my use.

 

[balamw]

The metro app is ok, it's not bad, but I think it suffers from the "iOS syndrome" where things are dumbed down for no good reason.

Yeah, my question was to Cod3rror who in one post goes from what sounds liek "best thing since sliced bread" to "not as good as the web app."

I don't use skydrive myself, so I can't really tell.

B

 

[NT1440]

The metro app is ok, it's not bad, but I think it suffers from the "iOS syndrome" where things are dumbed down for no good reason. Most of the metro apps are like that, it's as if Microsoft wants to throw away their advantage in having a real OS with making toy apps like Apple does. Case in point, Internet Explorer 10 is really really horrible and I avoid it like the plague. Same with mail, I use hotmail and it has much more functionality than the mail program, plus I'm usually in my browser anyway so to actually switch to another program to check mail is unintuitive for my use.

I'll disagree in part with the "dumbed down" comments, but regarding IE10:

I work at Best Buy for the geeksquad, I've been instructing new purchasers to put the desktop live tile directly in the upper left, and to avoid IE10 like the plague. You can't imagine the confusion on peoples faces when I demo desktop mode, show them IE, then show them the live tiles and show them an IE that looks nothing like the program with the same name already on their computers. I've even gotten several "thats just plain stupid" comments from older folks when cautioning them that navigating to a page in one IE doesn't automatically take you to that page when you use the other IE.

People are really upset by the Start Screen. Really, really upset. They then act like because I'm the guy setting it up for them that its my fault I can't make it less confusing for them.

Consumers can really be a piece of work sometime, if they can't assign blame they'll take it out on the guy giving them the new computer rather than assigning blame to the people that actually make the damn thing.

 

[spinedoc77]

This is probably one of the reasons why I seem to like the new start screen better than most people. To me, it isn't the Entirely Separate OS Layered On Top of Windows, it's simply...dramatic pause...The Launcher.

It's the place I put all the shortcuts for programs I like having around, but don't want to clutter up my taskbar with. When you think of it like that, it works great. Better than the old start menu.

...unless, like you said, you have a ton of apps.

I think it would be ok if I had a dozen or so programs, but I can have 50-100 programs on my windows machine, maybe even more. It's just plain onerous to scroll thru 100+ programs, it makes zero sense. If they simply added the ability to create folders and put programs/tiles inside the folders I think they would calm a LOT of people down. In the old start menu you have the option of creating folders and organizing it the way you want.

I mean even Apple/iOS and google/Android have folders so you can organize your workspace and reduce the sheer amount of apps and programs you have on your screen.

----------

I'll disagree in part with the "dumbed down" comments, but regarding IE10:

I work at Best Buy for the geeksquad, I've been instructing new purchasers to put the desktop live tile directly in the upper left, and to avoid IE10 like the plague. You can't imagine the confusion on peoples faces when I demo desktop mode, show them IE, then show them the live tiles and show them an IE that looks nothing like the program with the same name already on their computers. I've even gotten several "thats just plain stupid" comments from older folks when cautioning them that navigating to a page in one IE doesn't automatically take you to that page when you use the other IE.

People are really upset by the Start Screen. Really, really upset. They then act like because I'm the guy setting it up for them that its my fault I can't make it less confusing for them.

Consumers can really be a piece of work sometime, if they can't assign blame they'll take it out on the guy giving them the new computer rather than assigning blame to the people that actually make the damn thing.

Yeah, I changed the default to IE10 desktop, so it automatically opens that instead of the Metro one. I'm just completely confused as to the rationale, you can't bookmark anything, you can pin things but that's just a big mess of unorganized bookmarks which is even worse than Metro because I tend to have a LOT more bookmarks than programs.

BTW IE10 in desktop mode works very nicely, there are some foibles I'm not happy with but it's very workable. I'm currently using Firefox though, I just love Adblock and Flashblock too much.