More Than 3 Out of 4 Enthusiasts Reject Windows 8

[lehnerus2000]

My point in quoting the article was that Microsoft is treating the PC with less importance with Windows 8. Because they are so worried that they have fallen behind in tablet and smartphone sales they have put a tablet / smartphone interface on Windows 8 desktop. Instead of treating the PC a a separate entity that should have an interface designed for office productivity Microsoft decided to have a touchscreen interface which is not anywhere near as useful as the Windows 7 interface.

Indeed.
I suspect that most people who don't like W8 would agree with that.

They just bolted on an additional layer that you have to fight through, to get to where you wanted to go in the first place.
Once someone pointed that out, they were forced to include search in Metro.

 

[Juxxize]

I know we keep hearing the phrase 'the PC is Dieing' like in that article above which also says most things you can do on a PC you can do on a android device phone or tablet, really?? I don't think so , maybe it can done on a tablet but can it be done well ? can it be done right? I agree there are alot of things I can do on both PC and tablet but unless I'm not at home I nearly always choose to do it on my PC rather than my tablet , I use that ( my tablet )when I'm out and about or maybe when I'm in bed.

 

[King Arthur]

PCs and tablets/smartphones are equal as far as consuming content goes, both can allow equal access to stuff like Youtube and e-books and other consumable content. The thing most of the hooligans that insist "PCs are dying" fail to take into account is creating content. Even this simple post I'm writing would take much longer on a tablet/smartphone and be far more prone to errors than if I were to write it on a PC like I'm doing right now.

Now, of course the fact remains that PC sales are stagnating, that much is undeniable. Rather than the PC supposedly being superceded by tablets/smartphones though, the real reason PC sales are stagnating is because we're moving into an upgrade/replacement cycle that is much longer than prior cycles due to exponentially increasing power in hardware, power that has actually recently begun to plateau in favor of power efficiency because we simply don't need so much pure horsepower beyond what we already have.

Unlike 10~20 years ago when PCs needed to be upgraded or replaced almost on an annual basis to be able to run the latest software (or to take advantage of new technological advacements in hardware), we're in an era where even an Intel Core2Duo is more than sufficient for the majority of the things we do everyday. On top of that, software and hardware today have become more reliable than they have ever been before. Combined with a not-so-great economy everywhere, there's simply no reason for most of us to go out and keep on buying ever newer computers, and that in my opinion is why PC sales are stagnating.

PCs still remain one of the most useful, versatile, and reliable tools many of us have in our arsenals, it's just that times have changed with so much technological advancements resulting in vastly prolonging the effective lifespan of a PC.

 

[lehnerus2000]

I'd also add that most people who want a desktop PC (in the 1st World) probably already have one.

 

[Dallas 7]

I'd also add that most people who want a desktop PC (in the 1st World) probably already have one.

First, if W8 had been an exciting upgrade for desktops, it wouldn't matter if they already had one, they'd be upgrading! Instead, W8 has turned out to be a DOWNGRADE compared to W7. That's turning people off, and the word about W8 is spreading.

Second, the economy is still in the tank. For those whose job seems relatively secure it doesn't seem that bad, but there's a lot of unemployed and underemployed, and they're not going to buy anything.

 

[lehnerus2000]

OS Upgrade != New PC Sale

I'd also add that most people who want a desktop PC (in the 1st World) probably already have one.

First, if W8 had been an exciting upgrade for desktops, it wouldn't matter if they already had one, they'd be upgrading! Instead, W8 has turned out to be a DOWNGRADE compared to W7. That's turning people off, and the word about W8 is spreading.

OS upgrading wouldn't show up as new PC sales (only as Windows sales).
The fact that PC sales have levelled off, is one of the reasons that MS has panicked and slapped a tablet GUI on everything it makes.
Another reason is Apple's bank balance (from iPad sales).

If W8 had been as good an upgrade from W7, as W7 was from Vista, then people would be flocking to it.

Second, the economy is still in the tank. For those whose job seems relatively secure it doesn't seem that bad, but there's a lot of unemployed and underemployed, and they're not going to buy anything.

King Arthur mentioned that.
My comment was in addition to his.

 

[SIW2]

The economy isn't great - many people won't buy something unless they really want it.

Apple sold a lot over the Xmas period -because they had a product that a lot of people really wanted.

MS real aim is to monetize the customers. That means getting more money out of them. Subscriptions for Office for example. The main thrust is via their online apps. and services. The Metro Start screen is a constant advert and exhortation for people to go online and get sucked into that.

Take 3 guesses why they were so keen to remove start menu and keep shoving start screen at you.

 

[PaulGo]

With Windows 'Blue' rumored, the Windows 8 fire sale begins



...Every indication I've seen is that stores, particularly in the United States, are swollen with Windows 8 machines.

...Instead of rolling out much-needed improvements to the core Metro apps, or bringing back the Start menu, or giving us a Windows 7.8, or implementing any of a dozen or more small, high-impact changes in little increments, it looks like we're going to get a new giant version of Windows this summer -- less than a year after the disaster known as Windows 8. Imagine. More of the same, only with performance improvements, a smaller kernel, longer battery life, and a better search charm. Golly. Now that the mainstream press has wind of a "new version" coming down the pike, look for adoption of Windows 8 to shrink even further, while we all wait to see what's coming next.

We can watch as Microsoft dismantles its own Windows monopoly, one harebrained step at a time.

Full article at:

With Windows 'Blue' rumored, the Windows 8 fire sale begins | Microsoft windows - InfoWorld

 

[Dallas 7]

With Windows 'Blue' rumored, the Windows 8 fire sale begins



...Every indication I've seen is that stores, particularly in the United States, are swollen with Windows 8 machines.

...Instead of rolling out much-needed improvements to the core Metro apps, or bringing back the Start menu, or giving us a Windows 7.8, or implementing any of a dozen or more small, high-impact changes in little increments, it looks like we're going to get a new giant version of Windows this summer -- less than a year after the disaster known as Windows 8. Imagine. More of the same, only with performance improvements, a smaller kernel, longer battery life, and a better search charm. Golly. Now that the mainstream press has wind of a "new version" coming down the pike, look for adoption of Windows 8 to shrink even further, while we all wait to see what's coming next.

We can watch as Microsoft dismantles its own Windows monopoly, one harebrained step at a time.

Full article at:

With Windows 'Blue' rumored, the Windows 8 fire sale begins | Microsoft windows - InfoWorld

I've got a new build with W7, having purposely avoided the W8 debacle. Now MS thinks they can change my mind with "More of the same"? Nah, I think I'll pass, AGAIN.
Microsoft is starting to sound like a politician.

 

[sygnus21]

Wow, this thread is still going...

Anyway I got free copy of Windows 8 pro, than bought a copy for $39.99. That said, I installed a copy under VM Ware, and after playing with it a bit.... I haven't touched it for about a month and a half now.

Maybe I'm getting to old, but I have no patience for a tablet based OS on a desktop. Unless Microsoft does something to drastically boost the OS, I see this as an experiment gone bad. I'm not even sure ME (Windows Millennium Edition) flopped this bad but...???

That said, the future of computing is going the way of the tablet/mobile computing so any OS producer would be crazy not to embrace now. Perhaps this is what Microsoft is trying with Window 8.

At any rate I wouldn't hold my breath that Microsoft is going to abandon the W8 strategy, they may just change the approach with the new OS; that is make it two prong - one for business/desktop users, the other for mobile business and consumer use.

I think with Windows 8, Microsoft tried to force too much of the mobile side on desktop users. Perhaps they could have left it a little more desktop friendly. This forced approach on desktop users is what's killing the OS as we shouldn't be forced to sign up for Microsoft accounts in order to use our desktops. I understand the concept (mobile computing), but we're not there yet.

BTW I do have a Microsoft Live account, but I'm not ready to put all my business in the cloud just yet.

Honestly I don't know where 8 will wind up at, but it sure isn't inspiring many to move like 7, or even Vista did. As I've said many times, this is the first OS I've not jumped on. Even ME made me jump.

My two cents.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
Some of the gripes here with W8 are really IMO so trivial as not really to merit serious discussion -- especially on a Forum where (I assume) most people usually have a decent knowledge about computers in general and Windows in particular.

For those that really find a lack of start menu in W8 such a big problem -- well even WITHOUT using 3rd party tools you can make a feature that performs almost identically to W7 start menu.

1) on the bottom taskbar right mouse click ==> toolbars===>create new toolbar
2) enter %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs in the select folder
3) press the select folder button

Now in the bottom taskbar you'll see Programs with a >> sign

click on the >> and you'll see a list of your pgms in classical menu style -- what's difficult about that --you don't even have to go near the start screen / charms etc once you've booted.

Screenshots enc.

(you can make say 2 or 3 individual customized toolbars like that if you want --and I actually find it FAR MORE FLEXIBLE than the basic traditional start menu).

Again I say W8 has its faults but some of them are not nearly so bad as people seem to make out -- most people who HATE W8 seem to have tried it for about 3 seconds and then given up saying "I hate it". Try out some of the decent bits of it before rubbishing it entirely.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[King Arthur]

^ I actually have one of those filled with my often-used software and other such files and shortcuts. The start menu for me functions as a go-to "has everything everytime" menu where mostly anything I have on the computer, software-wise, will be present.

 

[Dallas 7]

Hi there
Some of the gripes here with W8 are really IMO so trivial as not really to merit serious discussion -- especially on a Forum where (I assume) most people usually have a decent knowledge about computers in general and Windows in particular.

For those that really find a lack of start menu in W8 such a big problem -- well even WITHOUT using 3rd party tools you can make a feature that performs almost identically to W7 start menu.......


Cheers
jimbo

Surely you must work for Microsoft the way you keep trying to sell that touch screen interface to desktop users.
WHY should anybody have to "Make a feature" to make it more like W7???
Would you buy a Ford so you could make it more like a Chevrolet?

W7 didn't need salesmen to tell us how to make it more like Vista, it was good enough to sell itself!
There's NO REASON for people to have to buy W8 if they don't like.
If you think we're being "trivial" for disagreeing with you, that's your problem.

Make a product people like and it'll sell. Otherwise you'll have to eat it. That's capitalism, and it works.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
Some of the gripes here with W8 are really IMO so trivial as not really to merit serious discussion -- especially on a Forum where (I assume) most people usually have a decent knowledge about computers in general and Windows in particular.

For those that really find a lack of start menu in W8 such a big problem -- well even WITHOUT using 3rd party tools you can make a feature that performs almost identically to W7 start menu.......


Cheers
jimbo

Surely you must work for Microsoft the way you keep trying to sell that touch screen interface to desktop users.
WHY should anybody have to "Make a feature" to make it more like W7???
Would you buy a Ford so you could make it more like a Chevrolet?

W7 didn't need salesmen to tell us how to make it more like Vista, it was good enough to sell itself!
There's NO REASON for people to have to buy W8 if they don't like.
If you think we're being "trivial" for disagreeing with you, that's your problem.

Make a product people like and it'll sell. Otherwise you'll have to eat it. That's capitalism, and it works.

Hi there
As Windows 7 is still current then why not just keep it -- by reading the various Forums however it does seem that some people want W8 to be a "Clone" of W7" - which wasn't what the wretched thing was designed for.

By making it "Look like W7" in a way is almost tantamount to saying -- I'll buy a Ferrari but I want it to "look and feel" just like a Chevy or a pick up.

For some purposes there are loads of short cuts that make desktop work similar to W7 but people should remember that W8 was designed for NEWER devices - particularly mobile applications with Touch while remaining reasonably compatible with previous desktop applications. - Not perfect I agree but it's only the first iteration and the idea of having a unified interface across all sorts of devices isn't actually a bad idea.

The whole Desktop idea of working is actually diminishing quite rapidly-- there are of course exceptions but for great swathes of "bog standard office workers" a lot of their daily work could probably be accomplished quite easily on a DECENT (and I stress the word DECENT) tablet with a large monitor attached to it.

In a few years Desktop type of working will largely be "Niche", hobbyists, or extreme gamers.
Whether Windows 8 or something else will drive the next generation of hardware we'll have to wait and see.

So far actually given the general economic situation and the fact that W8 can run on quite old hardware so people aren't rushing around in droves buying new kit W8 sales have not been particularly disappointing - and for things like the new Windows 8 Phones (Nokia Lumia series) they are FLYING off the shelves in Europe -- very popular indeed.

Finally the point about "Trivial" was to say that for a small amount of work you really can make W8 to look and behave almost exactly how you want it to - but it is NOT W7.

People are free to install it or not as they wish -- there are still loads of XP, VISTA, W2000 and even some W98 systems still running out there and good luck to those who for one reason or another continue to want to run these systems -- however remember also that when W7 was introduced there were all sorts of people complaining "It wasn't XP" and there were all sorts of posts and suggestions on how to make W7 "look and feel like XP".

MSFT (Ms) stock is also doing FAR better than "The Fruit Company's" which has dropped significantly. Considering "The Fiscal cliff", and various Eurozone and Chinese shenanigans with "Debt" and economic slow downs generally the outlook for Ms is surprisingly good.

Enc recent stock charts of AAPL ("The Fruit Company") and MSFT.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[sygnus21]

Hi there
Some of the gripes here with W8 are really IMO so trivial as not really to merit serious discussion -- especially on a Forum where (I assume) most people usually have a decent knowledge about computers in general and Windows in particular.

What may be "trivial" to you may be serious to others. What may be serious to you may trivial to others.

Just something to think about.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

The idea of UI that will work on all devices is as practical as one size fits all clothing (one of the worst myths ever concocted). A Ferrari is not able to do the work a pickup can do and neither can a tablet do the work of a desktop machine.

While it is true that tablets are increasing in poularity, that does not mean desktops are going away anytime soon. A real keyboard is far more productive than what tablets have been offering (adding a keyboard to a tablet just makes it an overpriced netbook). Try serious multitasking on a tablet; the screen size alone makes that impractical (connecting a tablet to a monitor negates the portability advantage of a tablet). I'll be long dead before tablets can store and quickly access terabytes of data, even when no internet is available. Try doing some serious photo editing on a tablet; touch screens just won't cut it. Don't even think of doing video editing on a tablet. Tablets are very useful for many people but they just can't do everything a desktop can and, what they can do, they can't do as well except for limited data display. The business market alone will keep desktops alive.

Touch screens are ideal for tablets and, to a lesser degree, smaller laptops. As screen size increases, they become less practical. I can move a mouse a couple of inches to traverse the width of a large monitor. Doing so with a touch screen would be tiring and, eventually, painful. I can just see the workers' comp. claims pouring in. Win8 was designed for touchscreens. Any other input became cumbersome. Sure one can tweak Win8 to restore some of the features lost from Win7 (but not all) but why bother? Just continue to use Win7.

The reason tablets have become so popular is the people flocking to them were using only a tiny fraction of what desktops are capable of doing: emails (most people have gone to text messaging on cell phone for that anyway), simple web surfing, etc. For them, tablets are better because because they are smaller and almost infinitely more portable. Even desktop users will find them useful as portable, remote terminals (although they would never replace the desktop itself). For those applications, Win 8 is ideal. But expecting win 8 to be as useful on a desktop is like expecting the tiny shifter of a Ferrari to shift the gears on a Road Ranger transmission, a five speed main with a four speed Brownie, or a main with a three speed axle. In no way will the Ferrari be replacing an 18 wheeler, either, so those shifting controls will be necessary for quite some time to come. Same for a UI on a desktop; a tablet UI just isn't going to cut it on a desktop used for serious productivity, not just playing around like the song and dance commercials have been showing.

I never expected Win 8 to look like Win 7. I expected it to be able to do the same as Win 7 better and do more. Instead, more features were taken away than were gained. Finding occasionally used programs was considerable faster using a start menu instead of the clunky tiles Win8 uses. Heck, I don't even like program icons but, at least, Win 7 give me options to use instead without needing add on programs.

If Win8 is so great and the complaints against it so trivial, why are the vast majority of businesses replacing their aging XP systems with Win 7 instead of Win 8? You may be tired of people complaining about Win8 but I'm tired of people putting down people with valid reasons for not liking Win8.

 

[whs]

I can only recommend to start looking at Linux distros. Ubuntu Unity is a dog, but Mint Mate and Zorin are very good options for people that are used to Windows. Build up Linux skills now - it may come in handy soon.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
Businesses operate differently to private consumers - I'll bet these days in the few cases where old fashioned desktops are still used the hardware is LIGHT YEARS behind what people have at home.

-- Upgrades etc are planned a long time in advance -- they just don't go out --buy a new OS and if it's no good just downgrade again.

W7 upgrades were in place long before W8 was "even thought of" -- and no business is going to go through TWO OS upgrades in a short time - so I don't think the XP===>W7 vs XP===>W8 was a valid point.

I still maintain that for a lot of people a tablet makes a better option IN THE NEW WORKPLACE - provided the tablet is a DECENT ONE, you have an external decent size monitor and you can connect it to a docking station --with a keyboard and / or mouse as well.

Nobody says --least of all me -- that touch for some applications can replace a keyboard -- even with a "Stylus" people can type on a keyboard much faster than they can write and certainly enter via touch.

I don't think people understood what I'm saying here --- IMO a lot of the so called "Traditional" office apps don't really need a "Classical computer" any more -- and with more companies adopting a "BYOD" policy all the company will have to do is provide an infrastructure that a myriad of appropriate devices can connect to.

If 90% of your computer tasks at work are in using word, powerpoint, excel spread sheets, email, or working in such areas as HR, A/P, A/R, Purchasing, Procurement, Customer service etc all these tasks can be accomplished really easily with pretty well ANY front end device attached to a monitor keyboard and mouse.

A corporate server will provide a decent RDP experience -- and a lot of "Production applications" are essentially "Logon to say an ERP system and choose the application". For example if you are running a SAP system then so long as you can connect to the SAPGUI it doesn't really matter what the front end OS is -- whether it's via an HTTP Portal, Linux or any flavour of Windows.

Developers etc have different needs as well as those administering servers and that type of work -- but I say it again --the basic "Stand alone" Workstation is essentially dead or certainly dying --even in the workplace.

I can probably say that in the last 3 years even I haven't actually SEEN anything other than Laptops in the large companies I've worked at -- and more recently plenty of Ipads / Samsung tablets as well -- and these type of devices are just brilliant when making presentations or or demos -- much easier than disconnecting a laptop, finding a LAN, connecting up again to the server, loading up Office from the network --then Bang the network goes down etc etc.

I know the desktop won't disappear 100% -- but even today I'll bet it's around 80% GONE in workplaces and in fact the whole BYOD concept makes the whole procurement and installation of corporate OS'es much more simple -- so long as the server(s) provide the relevant GUI the I.T staff just have to fix the server(s) -- they don't have to deploy 2500 copies of Windows etc any more.

Small offices may even find it easier as there's usually no "established I.T dept --usually a GURU who messes around with a small server -- so providing a single GUI on the server should be a doddle also.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[HammerHead]

Ennui

Zzzz.....zzzzzz........zzzzzz

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Zzzz.....zzzzzz........zzzzzz

Why bother to use a tablet for a front end device attached to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse when a desktop can do it better for less.

I don't know how big businesses in Iceland work but here in the U.S., tablets are still the exception rather than the rule at most big businesses (including the last two I worked for; the ones I worked for before computers were so common don't count). Many big businesses frown on the use of laptops for security reasons, preferring desktops nobody will be taking home with them. Laptops are subject to getting lost or stolen; imagine how easy it would be for a tablet to grow legs or wings. Desktops are also far less likely to get dropped than laptops and desktops.

I'm not saying that tablets have no place in businesses. As you said, they can be brilliant for demos and presentations most of the time. But, in no way can they completely replace desktops and an OS that is so heavily geared to tablets just isn't going to cut it.