More Than 3 Out of 4 Enthusiasts Reject Windows 8

[SIW2]

I don't think so.

MS want to move everyone to a phone style non personal computer.

It is the future MS is planning.

 

[whs]

The only problem though, what else can these OEMs pre-install their system with? They must have some contract with Microsoft, which states they must sell what operating system Microsoft tells them to.

The OEMs can supply new systems with Windows 7 - but you have to ask for it (a couple of my family did). I understand that there was a court ruling that the OEMs have to comply if you ask.

If everyone starting requesting this, then maybe the OEM's could present these statistics to Microsoft, and then they will have a change of strategy?

Unfortunately most customers are too plain and usually completely uninformed. The salesmen sell them for what they get the most commission. And I am certain that MS made sure that Windows 8 is top dog on the commission scale.

 

[x BlueRobot]

Most consumers probably do not fully understand what Microsoft is trying to do also, they want to increase our exposure to their marketing as much as possible, and many people (think someone may have said this) will buy something because it makes them look good, that's the psychological power of brands.

 

[Gary]

There is nothing that MS can do to make me purchase a software product whose end game is to force users on tablets and or smartphones.

 

[Dallas 7]

There is nothing that MS can do to make me purchase a software product whose end game is to force users on tablets and or smartphones.

Agreed!

 

[PaulGo]

Dell also blamed Windows 8 as one of the reasons why they are not selling their gear.

But what is really amazing is that Windows 7 is still growing.

Dell admits being a PC maker is a dead end in new SEC filing



...Among other things, Dell cites “decreasing revenues in the market for desktop and notebook PCs and the significant uncertainties as to whether, or when, this decrease will end”; “the overall difficulty of predicting the market for PCs...


...One big reason that Dell wants to go private is that it reportedly plans to reinvent itself by developing a computer the size of a USB stick that’s capable of giving users access to every major operating system, from Windows to Mac OS X to Google’s (GOOG) Chrome OS.

Dell PC industry analysis: OEMs face dead end | BGR

 

[nilank]

They dropped it to increase battery life. They are having problems with that on Surface Pro etc.

Windows is much less efficient than Linux.

Absolutely right. My friend recently got Windows 8 and is quite content with it. He says battery life seems to have almost doubled. He has an old battery which hardly gave 1.5 hrs with Windows 7, Aero on. With Windows 8, he can work for almost 3 hrs straight!

 

[sygnus21]

Something to think about...

Most consumers probably do not fully understand what Microsoft is trying to do also, they want to increase our exposure to their marketing as much as possible, and many people (think someone may have said this) will buy something because it makes them look good, that's the psychological power of brands.

I think a lot of us may be projecting our "geekness" (my word) on others. We need to remember for the most part we are enthusiasts who like to tweak a poke at everything little thing on out computers. On the other hand most everyday users don't even know where the control panel is never mind the registry.

I'm in school pursuing my Computer Information Systems degree and it amazes me that quite a few of my school mates have no clue when it comes to working with Windows, even some of my professors seem lost at times. This has made me realize how small the enthusiast community really is. In short, it's put perspective on things.

When you look around you, you find you're the go-to person for computer help. And no matter how minor the task seems to you, it's a huge deal for those that don't dabble with computers.

Yes, more and more people are using computers, but that doesn't mean they delve as deep as we enthusiasts do. My daughters came up with computers, they don't know what it is to not have one, yet they know nothing about PC repairs, Windows tweaks, or the inner workings of a PC. Yeah they know the inner workings of everyday usage, but the enthusiast stuff, they leave that to me, the "geek".

So what's my point? Microsoft is only giving the larger masses (the general public) what they need, and want. This means they need to make sure the OS is easy to use, and not overly complicated. Yeah, this may seem dumberfied (my word) to us enthusiasts, but remember we are still the minority.

And though we the enthusiast community can, and do influence what most tech companies do, they in the end also have to consider the larger masses, which doesn't always match up with what the enthusiast community wants.

That said, Microsoft, nor anyone else, doesn't want to sell complicated because we are not overly complicated. In fact most societies are in, or are rapidly moving towards what I call the Microwave society - we want it fast, we want it now, we want it uncomplicated.

Windows 8 is a step in that direction... fast, easy, uncomplicated. And though it may seem like child’s paly as some have called it, I’m sure we’ll figure out a way to tweak and fix it to our liking. That’s what we enthusiasts (geeks) do. We tweak. I just installed the Windows 7 games package on 8, something Microsoft left out.

That said, before getting my Win8 laptop, I swore I was going to dump 8 (yeah, I was a H8ter) and put 7 on it. Instead I've decided to let things be and give 8 a go. It's been frustrating at times, especially trying to figure out how to close open windows on the fly (still having got that), trying to find stuff, or just navigating around the OS. But if I'm the "geek" I think I am, I'll eventually get it.

Would I have liked the option of getting W7? Yeah; on the other hand, here's an opportunity to give 8 a try. Since Microsoft is forcing this on the masses as others have cried, why not be ahead of the curve.

My two cents.

 

[mjf]

I'm in school pursuing my Computer Information Systems degree and it amazes me that quite a few of my school mates have no clue when it comes to working with Windows, even some of my professors seem lost at times. This has made me realize how small the enthusiast community really is. In short, it's put perspective on things.

All I can say is that is a bit of a worry. Hopefully your teachers know the fundamentals of operating system theory even if they aren't super experts on Windows 7.

 

[sygnus21]

I'm in school pursuing my Computer Information Systems degree and it amazes me that quite a few of my school mates have no clue when it comes to working with Windows, even some of my professors seem lost at times. This has made me realize how small the enthusiast community really is. In short, it's put perspective on things.

All I can say is that is a bit of a worry. Hopefully your teachers know the fundamentals of operating system theory even if they aren't super experts on Windows 7.

To be clear, since this is a 4 year school, I have many different courses, so not every professor is going to be computer savvy to the enthusiast level. However they are very competent in their area(s) of expertise, including those who teach computer courses.

That said, my point is/was is that even in a world of "higher learning" not all students and teachers are as computer savvy as we think. This obviously wouldn't include those professors who teach computer courses, or most of the students taking those courses.

When you look at the entire student body, again, we, the computer geeks, are in the minority. That's my point.

 

[mjf]

That said, my point is/was is that even in a world of "higher learning" not all students and teachers are as computer savvy as we think. This obviously wouldn't include those professors who teach computer courses, or most of the students taking those courses.

Certainly. When I worked as a researcher in Labs I had smart people wiping my "computer nose". Now I need to do it myself and actually it's fun.

 

[whs]

Hi Drew,

You made a pretty good analysis of what the MS folks were mosty likely thinking. If they want to enlarge their market, they have to go for the morons of the world because there are not enough smart people (or people that are interested in computer sciences) around to pay their bills.

Nevertheless, there are a Billion or so current users that 'manage' with the current UI and would probably be better off if they were given the option of a Windows 7 like UI.

The problem I have is not the new Windows 8 UI per se, but the fact that this is the ONLY option. It is a UI made for touchscreens and since I do not have such a device nor do I plan to buy one, this flavor of a user interface is not well suited for my setup and bothers me. Their attitude of either 'my way or the highway' is going to be the highway for them.

 

[SIW2]

When you look at the entire student body, again, we, the computer geeks, are in the minority. That's my point

.

Not sure what you are getting at.

Economics students would probably say the same thing - all subjects, in fact.

That is not an excuse to treat everyone like idiots.

They aren't ididots - they just haven't had much exposure to that particular subject.

I am surprised how little people understand about marketing - it is around them all the time and has a great effect on their lives.

Most people will listen and be intereted. Only a few refuse to pay any attention.

 

[sygnus21]

Hi Wolfgang,

First, I wouldn't call those less intelligent about computers morons. If that were the case we could all be called morons as there are all sorts of fields we ourselves are less knowledgeable on.

Anyway I too hate the UI of 8. Luckily my laptop defaults to the standard desktop mode, but it still isn't easy when you have to deal with the Metro interface. And, to me, it sure is butt ugly. On the other hand, some of the tiles can be pretty good, especially if you're signed in as you get live updates of stuff. Overall though I stay away from the Metro interface as I simply don't like the look. In fact, one of the reasons I decided to leave Windows based phones was because of the Metro look. I much rather have a clean look as opposed to the clutter of Metro.

As for Microsoft's attitude towards it's customers and the "forced" way of doing things, I think it's 50/50. From Microsoft's perspective, an OS that seamlessly integrates with all mobile devices is a long overdue welcome.

From the consumers it's a radical design that'll take some time getting use to, especially now that the simple, but rather HIGHLY used start menu is gone. This may seem mundane to Microsoft, but it's a huge deal to those who grew up with it. Now it's gone, and 8 is rather confusing to use without it. Even seasoned veterans are struggling with it.

For a lot of people, that, more than the Metro look, is the reason 8 is slumping. That, coupled with the success of Windows 7 is what's killing the enthusiasm for 8.

As for purchasing new PC's with the OS installed, this is nothing new since anytime a new OS was released, subsequent PC/Laptops releases always featured the new OS. So the "forced" argument is a bit over exaggerated there. However Microsoft's public stance on support for 7 does seem to intentionally want to push people towards 8 prematurely.

My two cents.

When you look at the entire student body, again, we, the computer geeks, are in the minority. That's my point

Not sure what you are getting at.

If you read my initial post here http://www.sevenforums.com/news/273...siasts-reject-windows-8-a-57.html#post2347916 you'll see where I'm coming from.

 

[SIW2]

They are forcing it.

Makes sense - that is the advantage of having monopoly power.

As users have to adopt the phone interface, it gives MS all kinds of opportunities to monetise the customers. That is what it is for.

If all your devices are the same in that respect - even better for MS.

There isn't really a choice for most people - they will end up buying something with 8 on it ( or perhaps 9 if they can hang on that long ).

There are other issues also - privacy, for example :

Just bought a lumia 920, ...I went to use the speech feature to compose a message and was amazed to see that I will "Send the words you speak and supporting data, including recent contact names to Microsoft..."

...What a complete and total intrusion. It actually changes what I will say and how I will say it.

....It's part of who you are and to advertisers and corporations, that's very appealing.

http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/Coffeehouse/windows-8-speech-sent-to-microsoft

It is not just MS who are at it. That is no excuse.

In that example - at least he is aware of it - that won't always be the case.

Windows 8 sends data to Markmonitor - brand protection agency.

Lovely.

As your pc becomes more like a phone................

 

[gregrocker]

I still rest my faith here in the market. It won't tolerate no or low sales resulting in diminished returns because of a gambit to force anything on unwilling consumers. The pressures should build and force a realignment. It's the capitalist system.

That said it could be generational enough that I am now the XP Luddite we've seen here since 2009 crabbing about change.

But it feels more like Vista, where we knew it was a dog and watched Win7 advancements rescue it and a company.

 

[SIW2]

I am posting from Pinguy right now.

Only a few can look at these kind of things. If they were readily available on oem machines at pc's r us, that might be different.

But they aren't.

Where is the competition?

 

[Layback Bear]

The market place, the market place, the market place. We all say it over and over and yet I don't think Microsoft is hearing.
Microsoft is big and rich but they are not bigger or richer than the market place.
Like any company they get their sales and moneys form the market place.
The market place rules by the moneys that is spent on something and how many times it's done or not done.
Microsoft seem to think that to move strongly into the market place of Toymobiles they have to give up on the PC market place.

To put it simple. You can sell apple pie or ice cream. NO NO Microsoft.

You sell apple pie with the option of putting ice cream on it. That's the YES YES way to handle the market place.
The highly educated people (not me) call this a WIN, WIN.

 

[whs]

Drew, in my observation, a large portion of the population are real morons. They have no skills at all. They do a job where they were taught a couple of things, but as soon as you ask for a service that is a bit outside that narrow band, they are lost.

Make the test. Next time you have to pay, let's say, $17.35 somewhwere, give them a 20 dollar bill and let them type that into their machine. Now they see that they have to return $2.65. Then give them 35 cents because you do not want all the change. Now see what happens. -- on several similar occasions I had the cashier call their supervisor because they could not add 2 plus 2 together in their head. And then I had to teach the cashier and the supervisor some basics of mathematics to figure that out.

Another example. I walk into a Macy's and the first stands were cosmetics. I ask one of the ladies to tell me where the men's department is. The lady did not know -- in a store where she is working.

Now don't tell me that people like that have brains. They hang on to life by their fingernails and if the slightest thing happens, other people have to come to their rescue.

But those are the kind of clientele that MS wants to capture. They still buy stuff, and if it is only on credit.

PS: maybe the word 'moron' is not the right desecriptor for that kind. But with my limited knowledge of the English language, that's the word that came to mind. Do you know a better word to decribe those folks.

 

[gregrocker]

It makes sense, the dumbing down happens right at the Brittny/Social Media nexus.

So an over-reaction to Ipad's Social media focus would zero right in on Generation Text.

But why ignore everyone else who wants a productive Desktop experience which Windows had perfected, which is completely sacrificed in Win8 to the Social Media format?

The best of both worlds could have been had with a choice. And consumers still want that, in spades.