News - Microsoft Windows 8 limps past Vista market share

[HEXUS]

Now at five per cent, according to Netmarketshare.

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[cheesyboy]

It seems to move like this with Windows; Win98 stood as no.1 through the Win2k and ME editions until XP appeared. XP's popularity ran through Vista, Win7 has killed Win8

It seems consumers prefer to move on slower OS cycles than MS likes to produce them

[abaxas]

TBH if windows 2000 was still supported and have native wireless. I'd be using it now.

[kingpotnoodle]

It seems to move like this with Windows; Win98 stood as no.1 through the Win2k and ME editions until XP appeared. XP's popularity ran through Vista, Win7 has killed Win8

It seems consumers prefer to move on slower OS cycles than MS likes to produce them

People bitch and whinge about Windows 8 but IMHO the reality is that hardware and OS sales have slowed because the machines from a few years ago are still quite good (thanks to Intel/AMD), and whatever we do as geeks we need to remember most people don't/can't upgrade the OS, they buy hardware with an OS and use it until it's knackered/slow/unusable. A Windows 7 PC or laptop from 2-3 years ago just doesn't need replacing so people are spending on more exciting smartphones and tablets instead because they are seeing more obvious improvements each year.

Businesses have only just migrated XP to 7 (some are still lagging), they aren't in the mood for another refresh, the hardware is fine and everything works. Windows 8 seems more consumer focussed anyway so the large market share gains from business desktop migrations will probably never happen for Windows 8, maybe Windows 9+.

In short - I'm not surprised.

[simonpreston]

A Windows 7 PC or laptop from 2-3 years ago just doesn't need replacing

I'd go even further than that. I still use Core 2 Duo based machines (7 year old tech) every day and they're perfectly usable, especially so with an SSD installed. That said, most people who would have bought them would probably have done so with XP or Vista installed. Mine all run 7, obviously.

[shaithis]

End of this year, beginning of next and I expect Windows blue will start to rocket in sales and usage.

XBox one will run DX11.2 and there are a lot of new features to make things faster.....so I am fully expecting the new console ports (i.e. 99% of releases) to perform better on blue, driving sales to gamers.

There may be a lot of people swallowing their pride and upgrading at the end of the year...

[crossy]

I'd go even further than that. I still use Core 2 Duo based machines (7 year old tech) every day and they're perfectly usable, especially so with an SSD installed. That said, most people who would have bought them would probably have done so with XP or Vista installed. Mine all run 7, obviously.

Agree with what you're saying - the system I use most of the two I have is a 2nd hand Dell D620 laptop with the memory maxed out and the OS sitting on a Samsung 830 SSD. Quick, quiet and trouble free - although that one runs Ubuntu LTS, not Windows of any version.

Do you, the readers, envisage a time when Windows 8 is the most popular OS available, or will future Microsoft OSes consign the eighth iteration to, putting it bluntly, the dustbin of history?

I suspect most Windows 7 owners haven't upgraded because 8 really doesn't offer any "must have" feature and you've also got the learning curve for MUI to contend with. I myself didn't bother with Vista (because it was an annoying POS) and jumped XP->7 last time, and I'll probably jump 7->9 next time.

Two things - to my thinking - can make 8 more of a success:
1. Feature upgrades like Blue/8.1 that remove some of the more bone-headed UI decisions that 8 shipped with. As has been said Microsoft's "my way or the highway" attitude has had most deciding to walk out the door. I "support" two Windows8 users (one who migrated from 7, the other from Linux - boo) and they both say that while 8's UI takes some getting used to, after about a month it's comfortable and eminently usable;
2. Controllers such as LeapMotion and/or the wider availability of decent multitouch-capable monitors. Irrespective of whether I like MUI or not, it's pretty clear that usability with a touch capability is better than that with a conventional mouse. Plus there's something geek-chic about doing those Minority Report style screen swipe gestures!

From my point of view, if those two come to pass - so 8.1 turns out to be a good upgrade and LeapMotion isn't just a fancy fad - then I might be persuaded to move to 8 when I next replace the motherboard/cpu on my gaming rig.

[kingpotnoodle]

I'd go even further than that. I still use Core 2 Duo based machines (7 year old tech) every day and they're perfectly usable, especially so with an SSD installed. That said, most people who would have bought them would probably have done so with XP or Vista installed. Mine all run 7, obviously.

You're right of course, but I was more referring to machines "as shipped" in the hands of ordinary consumers and even assuming equal hardware with Windows 7 there is far less impetus to upgrade than there would be for an XP/Vista machine.

I've written this on an SSD enhanced and heavily upgraded during it's life Q6600 machine with a 965 chipset, it's more than fast enough for work, only things it really lacks is USB3 (could be added) and it's maybe not as power efficient. It runs Windows 8 of course...

[TheAnimus]

I don't think it's limping. No one was waiting for 8, like they were 7.

But lets not forget, they have had awful, truly awful hardware out there for the most part. With haswell, that has changed a bit.

Want a superlight laptop, that has 10 hour battery life, but is also really fast? Yup! No problem.

It also has a touch screen mode for the 'tablet grade' user.

These things have only just happened recently, before Christmas for instance there was nothing that would have made you not buy one of the windows 7 stock clearance jobs.

Meanwhile, the march of tablets and mobile phones and such has created a warped demand for proper computers. Many people are now satisfied with a 'toy' rather than a computer. The same brigade who 3 years ago were saying to buy a mackbook air for all your surfing facebook / mumsnet needs, are now saying to buy a tablet.

Microsoft have actually had some sucsess there, outselling the Nexus 10, but ultimately that isn't a good yardstick. It's all about the 7" market. I now own 4 '7 inch' devices, to two normal size tablets and god knows how many laptops. It is soon to be 5 7inchers. They are a great size, so handy, so portable and it helps that they cost well under £200.

[Firejack]

.....XBox one will run DX11.2 and there are a lot of new features to make things faster.....so I am fully expecting the new console ports (i.e. 99% of releases) to perform better on blue, driving sales to gamers.......

I don't think gamers are as big an influence on driving Windows OS sales as they once were. Desktop/Laptop sales as declining as Tablets/Smart phones rise to the top. This change is converting many gamers to casual gamers who play simple games on their new device or even a browser based game.

You have to look at the influence Apple/Android and even Linux are having in pulling gamers away from Windows. Windows isn't the only platform for gamers without consoles these days.




In terms of Windows 8. I still feel its limited to the home. Business just doesn't want it. They are happy with Windows 7 and look just as stubborn as the Windows XP days to stick with Windows 7 for as long as possible.

For me personally I'll be moving from Windows 7/8 machines at home to Windows 8.1. However I'll also be adding another Ubuntu machine for a 50/50 Win8.1/Ubuntu 12.04 LTS home network as Windows plays a less important part of my digital life.

[cjs150]

At the moment w8 is a dog of a OS. Great on phones, lovely on tablets and other smallish touch screen devices but for anything else, at best, a confusing hodge-podge clearly not designed for non-touch screen devices, people with NASs, business use and possibly not for anyone who normally wears long trousers.

w8.1 may bring in significant improvements but as they cannot even get a clock permanently on the metro screen I am not expecting much

[MattEvansC3]

Windows 8 will struggle because the OEMs haven't quite worked out its a two way relationship.

What never seems to get picked up on is that Windows 8 is a highly versatile operating system. I'm running 8.1 with my big box plugged into the TV and its far and away the best HTPC friendly version of any mainstream OS out there yet it also works as my desktop machine without any reconfiguration.

Windows 8's beauty is that it works across the board, desktop, HTPC, AiO, Hybrids laptop, tablet, etc. Its not an OS for one particular device and if its treated as such it fails.

The OEMs had an opportunity to revitalise the failing PC market with Windows 8, try new things, capture the public's imagination, release a breadth of devices and show how your PC travels with you. Instead they bad mouthed it before release, sold it on old hardware and then complaint when it didn't sell and save the PC industry.

[LowMoralFibre]

Still running 7. I'm so very tempted to try 8.1 but my fear of change has put pay to that for now. I bet I could make it work for me with a little effort though.

I'll have another look if DX11.2 has some must have features.

[Scribe]

Big fan of Windows 8, 8.1 focusing into Bing and more Skydrive... not a big fan.

[Percy1983]

I just wish xp would just die, oddly windows vista is one of my fave os's right now, mostly as you can get licenses off people for nothing as they all want 7 or 8. Lets be honest 7 is vista with lipstick anyway install the services packs and its rock solid.

I really like 8 but will say I think its biggest problem is it doesn't really help you migrate, even I had to google where somethings had gone.

I still have another 8 upgrade license to use but can't decide if I should currently use it on my HTPC with is running 7, in many respects it a no brainer, its more a case of I have put so much energy tweaking so many bits of software and registry settings it would be a shame to start again.

[Zeven]

Enjoy those Bing ads when you get Windows 8.1, folks.