Windows 7 gains more market share than Windows 8 and 8.1

whs · 03 Dec 2013

Yeah, that's a good question. They were 'strategy driven' not brain driven.

Solarstarshines · 03 Dec 2013

Layback Bear said:

Sometimes I think backwards as many know. So here goes.
We have a read why businesses and home owners don't want Windows 8.(?)

I'm trying to think of some reasons why business and other users would want to go to Windows 8(?).
I'm thinking that Microsoft didn't take into consideration the big WHY.
It can't be the finger print screen method of trying to get work done on a computer.
You would think that somewhere along the line somebody in Microsoft would of asked in a board meeting; WHY will the market place want to buy such a product like Windows 8 and install it on computers.

I can tell you already they were thinking more of the Social Media Mindless sheep crowd and not people who actually uses a PC for something more then posting you're eating at this place or doing that.

I am guilty of this too but at the same time i do more then just web chat and broadcast my life.

Also this would be a good time to throw tracking apps in the mix to keep a eye on you.

Our phones already have the tracking so i wouldn't be surprised if that is how they are tracking people too.

makes you wonder

Layback Bear · 03 Dec 2013

Social Media can be done without Windows 8.
Tracking is done without Windows 8.
Chatting and blogs can be done without Windows 8.
I'm not understanding why Windows 8. What is their in Windows 8 that would make the masses reach out with intent to buy Windows 8.
What can Windows 8 do that Windows 7 can't do?

Stephanie · 03 Dec 2013

whs said:

Maybe we'll get a Windows 7 SP2 after all. The big corporations are not going to move to 8 - their IT staff will see to that. They want to stay out of trouble - and cost to retrain thousands of users.

That would be nice - SP2 :)

alphanumeric · 04 Dec 2013

Joe cubical likely won't see much of Windows 8 at work unless its a personal BYOD. The boss might have a 8 tablet or laptop. Windows 7 is a nice stable reliable OS, seems a good fit for a business. No big change from using XP either. These more frequent 8.x releases would likely have the IT guy pulling out what hair he has left. 7 could well become the new XP. A SP2 would be a nice side effect.

kado897 · 04 Dec 2013

SP2 would be nice. I've just spent two and a half hours updating a W7 VM from SP1. Glad I don't have to so that for a living

alphanumeric · 04 Dec 2013

Layback Bear said:

Social Media can be done without Windows 8.
Tracking is done without Windows 8.
Chatting and blogs can be done without Windows 8.
I'm not understanding why Windows 8. What is their in Windows 8 that would make the masses reach out with intent to buy Windows 8.
What can Windows 8 do that Windows 7 can't do?

App Store is all that comes to mind. Obviously that's not all that compelling as the masses aren't reaching out for 8. Some are only using it because it came preinstalled on their new PC. There are some other under the skin improvements but most people can't see past the Metro interface and that seems to be the big deal breaker. By "most people" I mean the average Joe consumer, not your tech enthusiast or IT type.

whs · 04 Dec 2013

Once you see the Metro, and it is the first thing you see when you first open Windows 8/8.1, you head for the hills. It's like meeting a rattle snake in your bedroom.

alphanumeric · 04 Dec 2013

whs said:

Once you see the Metro, and it is the first thing you see when you first open Windows 8/8.1, you head for the hills. It's like meeting a rattle snake in your bedroom.

For some that seems to be the way it goes. I didn't like it all that much in the early releases. The 8.1 update has made it usable for me without annoying me. Multi monitor support is now there in Metro and now that everything isn't scatter shot onto the main start screen I find it easy to use and navigate. But hey, if you don't like it you don't like it. If I didn't have my MSDN sub I'd still be running 7 on my older PC's.

mjf · 04 Dec 2013

I've had some involvement in strategic planning and it staggers me the apparent lack of it at a large corporation like MS. I keep saying to myself that I must be missing something. I'm not saying that mobility and wireless aren't important and growing market segments but the need for a reliable desktop OS will be around for a long time. One scenario is for Virgin Linux to pop up providing a supported and agreed linux standard. If it does all the 3rd party software developers (eg. Adobe) will jump on board and MS will go down the drain.