Windows XP, 8.1, and 8 All Lose Users in July 2014

Hi there

Those Softpaedia articles could better be used as "Bog Paper". The Real thing I'd want to know after reading the title of the thread is Lose users TO WHAT

Is it to mobile devices --well that's been obvious for AGES - a lot of people don't use PC's who used to have them --doesn't mean PC is dead, or are people switching to APPLE -- can't say I've seen any significant evidence of that, or what about Linux -- I'm sure there is a growth here but mainly amongst hobbyists etc. I don't think there's much growth there as far as "The Great Unwashed" is concerned -- so A HUGELY UN-INMFORMATIVE article.

Cheers
jimbo

I believe the implication is they are losing to Windows 7. I have always found this argument entertaining. Having worked at not only Microsoft, but other software companies, the business model actually says the more users you get on the tail end the more you win. Support costs are always the highest at the initial release. They always drop off as bug fixes go in and user education increases. So the support cost for Windows 7 today is much less than it was when it was released. So if Microsoft gains 20% of the market with Windows 7 at this stage their overall profitability should be higher. From a marketing perspective you always want to create the urgency for the upgrade because you have to cover the research and development. That said, making sales on software via the long tail is never losing.

@ Jumbo

You have that correct! Did you notice .05%? Losing or basically flat lined?

@ MrBill

Thanks for that info. That makes sense. I've always said that MS has always kept an ace up their sleeve > The last OS.

Overall another author beating a dead horse. We all know that Ballmer and Sinofsky made the mistake of releasing 8 too soon. It should have been 8.1. That would have eased the "drastic change". Just like Vista, they can't shake the bad reputation no matter what.

Also, just as other past OSs, the closer we get to the release of the next one, the more people will wait to buy.

Hi there

I have a feeling they'll wait until the last of the TechNet subscriptions expire --then a lot more people will actually have to BUY the new release. I think the last people to come off TechNet will be around November 2014.

Cheers
jimbo

That sounds about right, Jim. With the release of 9RP upon us, final release should be somewhere around after the first of the year. They'll clear out 8.x stock during this Christmas shopping season with giving deals, then release 9. Hopefully with that they can get over the hump of bad press. 9 needs to be dead on to appease all types of users. I dare say it will be the most configurable OS to date.

Being a small business with one computer, it was never feasible for me to buy a TechNet subscription, although I did have an account. I was able to download RPs before the public at least, but not anymore. I have to wait with the rest. It was good while it lasted.

My TechNet is currently showing "Expired/in grace period". I would think the Windows 9 release will be after all the TechNet subs have fully expired. Done that way on purpose? Who knows?

W7 and OS X

W7 and OS X gained market share.
Also, the browser chart shows Chrome gaining market share (all other browsers lost market share).

Hi there

I think the OP was talking about OS'es rather than browsers --in any case Chrome for some people is a dogs dinner on a PC --it's fine on a phone or tablet of course --so even these stats are essentially rubbish unless you relate them to the devices being used on. I'm not sure IE can even work on android phones in any case so probably as well as the OS you need another variable - device.

As the % of android users increases it's pretty obvious that the % of IE usage will go down -- BTW on PC's a lot of streaming subscriptions (SKY GO, NETFLIX etc) don't work unless Silverlight is installed -- this is always a "Maybe, Maybe not" issue when using chrome as well.

Cheers
jimbo

jimbo45 said:

I think the OP was talking about OS'es rather than browsers

Click to expand...

The picture showed the OS share.

I noticed the Browser share info when I visited the site.

[h=1]Windows 8's uptake falls again, now slower than dud Vista[/h]

Computerworld - Windows 8's uptake was stuck in reverse for the second straight quarter as the reputation-challenged operating system fell behind the pace set by Windows Vista six years ago, according to data released Friday.

Web metrics firm Net Applications' figures for July put the combined user share of Windows 8 and 8.1 at 12.5% of the world's desktop and notebook systems, a small drop of six-hundredths of a percentage point from June. That decline was atop a one-tenth-point fall the month before, the first time the OS had lost user share since its October 2012 debut.

Click to expand...

I have to admit Windows 7 was a solid release. Great operating system with no problems whatsoever. I used it everyday from pretty much anything. Came preinstalled in my Windows laptop.

Because I get Microsoft operating systems for free, I upgraded my laptop to Windows 8 and graphics didn't work out of the box nor my trackpad. The thing that I hate about Windows so much is finding the right drivers because stupid OEMs don't bother updating their support page for old models. Had to run Windows Update and install Microsoft's Intel drivers and searched Google for my trackpad drivers. Also, I'm forced to get a 3rd party start menu, can't deal with full screen start screen. Then updated to Windows 8.1 and same thing, graphics broke again and had to run Windows Update again. Finally, Windows 8.1 Update 1 failed for no reason at all. Tried it millions of times to update it and I always was greeted with the stupid "We couldn't complete the updates. Undoing Changes" message. What's worse is that Microsoft forces this update and I was stuck in this loop because it always installs the update in the background. After this experience I had it with Windows 8.

The only option I had left was to back up everything, all my files, and finally slipstream Windows 8.1 Update onto the Windows USB installer. Clean installs are annoying but I just did not want to deal with that bullcrap error again. It worked out successfully in the end but I had to deal with all this trouble to get it working.

To my surprise even Linux distros handles this better. I never need to look for drivers and updates are done seamlessly. So Linux beats Windows in that aspect. However I have already abandoned Windows and only use my Mac for everything. The only time I ever boot my Windows 8.1 laptop is for gaming. I have nothing against Windows, hoping Windows 9 is better but after that experience, I can't take Windows 8 seriously anymore.

But, did you catch yourself there?
Falling onto that ever slippery slope to the pit of misinformation?

1.) You are blaming an OS for what is clearly 3rd party Driver support.

2.) While some did have issues with Win8.1 Update 1 through the store.
Not everyone did/does/will.

As for Linux that is not always true. but I won't go into details.

Regardless, Windows 8.x is a solid system front to back,, even more so than Win7
Differences do not make the OS bad over all, some people just can't get past them for whatever reason.