More Than 3 Out of 4 Enthusiasts Reject Windows 8

Microsoft WIndows 8 update restores start button and adds search | FP Tech Desk | Financial Post

One major research firm, International Data Corp., blamed the redesigned operating system for worsening a decline in PC sales by confusing prospective buyers.

Meanwhile, Windows 8 hasn’t proven it’s compelling enough to put a major dent in the popularity of Apple Inc.’s pioneering iPad or other tablets running on Google Inc.’s Android software. Microsoft, though, remains convinced that Windows 8 just needs a little fine tuning. “We feel good about the basic bets that we have made,” Leblond said.

One issue, particularly for tablet customers, has been the lack of applications for Window 8, compared with more than 350,000 apps for Apple Inc.’s iPad. Windows now has about 79,000 apps, according to MetroStore Scanner, a website that tracks how many apps are in the Windows store.
While the Windows 8 update is a concession by Microsoft that the new operating system may have turned off some customers, the software maker isn’t backing away from its new design, Miller said.

“That’s not giving in — that’s just changing it to be more usable,” Miller of Directions on Microsoft said. “People need to realize Microsoft isn’t just going back to the way Windows 7 was.”

whs said:

“People need to realize Microsoft isn’t just going back to the way Windows 7 was.”

And Microsoft has to realize that people are just not going to buy their stuff any more. There are plenty of better alternatives.

For Windows 8.1, a half-step toward a Start button



....But clicking on the "tip" won't launch the familiar menus that the Start button did in previous versions of Windows. Instead, it will take users to their Start screen. With Windows 8.1, users can customize that Start screen to replicate something close to the old Start menus, listing all of the applications that are available to them, if they want.
It's unclear if the Start tip will be enough to quiet critics who are clamoring for the ease of use that comes with familiarity. The Start tip is a bit of a half-step toward a Start button. Microsoft seems to be giving a nod to its critics but not quite giving them all they had wanted.

For Windows 8.1, a half-step toward a Start button | Microsoft - CNET News


Why ...Why does Microsoft have to be so stubborn about this, and just give their customers what they want - a Windows 7 style start menu! They just can't admit their idea of what customers want is misguided.

This is why :

Microsoft's original premise was based on requiring customers to use the Start screen, or at least move through it, before reaching the "classic" desktop

Hey, Microsoft: It's the apps, stupid - Computerworld

PaulGo said:

Why ...Why does Microsoft have to be so stubborn about this, and just give their customers what they want - a Windows 7 style start menu! They just can't admit their idea of what customers want is misguided.

x BlueRobot said:

whs said:

“People need to realize Microsoft isn’t just going back to the way Windows 7 was.”

And Microsoft has to realize that people are just not going to buy their stuff any more. There are plenty of better alternatives.