Slow uptake of Windows 8 preview hints at lack of interest

Slow uptake of Windows 8 preview hints at lack of interest

If usage share equals enthusiasm, new OS half as interesting to users as Windows 7 was in its beta stage

By Gregg Keizer
April 30, 2012 12:09 PM ET

Computerworld - Windows users appear half as interested in trying out the new Windows 8 as they did three years ago when they jumped at the chance to test drive Windows 7, data shows.

According to Web analytics company Net Applications, only 0.11% of the computers that went online last week ran Windows 8. That number -- representing 11 machines out of each 10,000 -- was the same as Windows 8 averaged in March.

And it's significantly less than Windows 7's usage share at the same point in its development history.

At the end of the first two full months after the release of Windows 7 Beta, that operating system was powering 0.26% -- or 26 out of every 10,000 -- of the PCs that browsed the Web.

Microsoft made early versions of both Windows 8 and Windows 7 available to anyone interested enough to download and install the trials. The former, dubbed Windows 8 Consumer Preview, debuted two months ago Sunday. Windows 7 Beta appeared in early January 2009.

It's not possible to compare Windows 8's initial uptake with that of Windows Vista, the 2007 operating system that most users shunned, and which has steadily lost share since Windows 7's October 2009 release: Computerworld's records of Net Applications' data go back only to February 2007, one month after Vista's launch and nine months after the release of that edition's first public beta.

There are several possible explanations for the usage difference of Windows 8's and Windows 7's public previews.

more
 
Yes, that makes sense.

There is a lot less interest in win8 than there was in Win7.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
For most 7 was the "Big Leap" over Vista from XP to 7! When Vista got a bad rep not entirely a bad OS to begin with people ended up waiting for the next being 7 which saw immediate success!

In other words "everybody" was looking to try out 7 as you can recall just from the discussions over at SF. With the Metro UI seen now 8 while not only that but being the next version not as attractive for those who went for 7 you can see why the initial interest lags. The Metro only added to the hesitation.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    1st W10 Professional x64/W7 Ultimate x64 - 2nd Remote system: W10 Insider Builds/W7 Professional
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Builds
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 975 Deneb 3.6ghz -2nd case AMD Atholon II 3.2ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper-X DDR3 1600mhz 16gb - 2nd case Kingston Hyper-X "Fury" DDR3 1600mhz 8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Radeon HD 5750 1gb - 2nd AMD Radeon 6450
    Sound Card
    Creative Xtreme Gamer - 2nd case Realtek Onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer 19" dual monitor setup - 2nd case HP 20" lcd
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 same on both builds
    Hard Drives
    1st build
    WD Caviar Black Edition Sata II 1tb two OS drives
    WD RE "Heavy Duty Sata II 2tb two Storage/Backup
    2nd build
    WD Blue Sata II 500gb
    WD Black Edition Sata III 1tb
    WD Green Power Sata II 1tb in external usb enclosure
    PSU
    Corsair TX750H 750w -Corsair 500w
    Case
    Antec 900-2 -NXZT Vulcan Mini tower/carrying handle
    Cooling
    120mm front pair, 120 rear 200cm top - 120mm Front intake 200mm side cover
    Keyboard
    Azio Blue led back lit both builds.
    Mouse
    MSI DS200 11 button programmable Gaming optical mouse - Odessa 3 button dual scroll trackball
    Internet Speed
    30mbps
    Other Info
    two MSI 22x ide dvd burners, 25 usb flash drives used for Linux Live, live data recovery 128gb, and Windows 7, 10 usb installation keys
It is far too early to extrapolate - but, just for fun....

On those figures win7 is nearly 2.5 times more popular than win8.

Win7 has sold just over 450 m copies, I believe.

That would put win8 sales at 200m if they are lucky.

Vista sold over 300m.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
I don't see as being a seller as you saw 7 take off with! The bulk of 8 sales will likely be XP and Vista users going for the new version since most 7 users now are satisfied with 7. The geek squad obviously will look at dual boots while the typical 7 users are going to see 8 as questionable!

With 8 now only in it's own beta point you couldn't expect any 100% accurate charts on real interest this soon as you saw with 7 by any means. The long term picture as far as actual use however could only be seen once in retail form and out on the market. You can be sure the portables with 8 will be outselling the 8 desktop pcs!

MS would have been playing it smart by not forcing the Metro on everyone but had seen a two mode type of installer for standard desktop with a new look and a second for Metro/touchscreen rather then placing everything into the Metro to grab the desktop market. But 8 for many is being looked at as the Mobile OS only
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    1st W10 Professional x64/W7 Ultimate x64 - 2nd Remote system: W10 Insider Builds/W7 Professional
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Builds
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 975 Deneb 3.6ghz -2nd case AMD Atholon II 3.2ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper-X DDR3 1600mhz 16gb - 2nd case Kingston Hyper-X "Fury" DDR3 1600mhz 8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Radeon HD 5750 1gb - 2nd AMD Radeon 6450
    Sound Card
    Creative Xtreme Gamer - 2nd case Realtek Onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer 19" dual monitor setup - 2nd case HP 20" lcd
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 same on both builds
    Hard Drives
    1st build
    WD Caviar Black Edition Sata II 1tb two OS drives
    WD RE "Heavy Duty Sata II 2tb two Storage/Backup
    2nd build
    WD Blue Sata II 500gb
    WD Black Edition Sata III 1tb
    WD Green Power Sata II 1tb in external usb enclosure
    PSU
    Corsair TX750H 750w -Corsair 500w
    Case
    Antec 900-2 -NXZT Vulcan Mini tower/carrying handle
    Cooling
    120mm front pair, 120 rear 200cm top - 120mm Front intake 200mm side cover
    Keyboard
    Azio Blue led back lit both builds.
    Mouse
    MSI DS200 11 button programmable Gaming optical mouse - Odessa 3 button dual scroll trackball
    Internet Speed
    30mbps
    Other Info
    two MSI 22x ide dvd burners, 25 usb flash drives used for Linux Live, live data recovery 128gb, and Windows 7, 10 usb installation keys

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (64 bit), Linux Mint 18.3 MATE (64 bit)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    n/a
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II x6 1055T, 2.8 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASRock 880GMH-LE/USB3
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 1333 G-Skill Ares F3-1333C9D-8GAO (4GB x 2)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD6450
    Sound Card
    Realtek?
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung S23B350
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Western Digital 1.5 TB (SATA), Western Digital 2 TB (SATA), Western Digital 3 TB (SATA)
    Case
    Tower
    Mouse
    Wired Optical
    Other Info
    Linux Mint 16 MATE (64 bit) replaced with Linux Mint 17 MATE (64 bit) - 2014-05-17
    Linux Mint 14 MATE (64 bit) replaced with Linux Mint 16 MATE (64 bit) - 2013-11-13
    Ubuntu 10.04 (64 bit) replaced with Linux Mint 14 MATE (64 bit) - 2013-01-14
    RAM & Graphics Card Upgraded - 2013-01-13
    Monitor Upgraded - 2012-04-20
    System Upgraded - 2011-05-21, 2010-07-14
    HDD Upgraded - 2010-08-11, 2011-08-24,
Do you think I should link this one here? Windows XP just won't die: Remains most used OS in April | ZDNet :what::roflmao:

Or I could mention the week old thread seen at http://www.eightforums.com/windows-8-news/5840-windows-8-usage-over-twice-windows-7-beta.html

This latest CW article only goes to further show how well the reactions are to the upcoming new version of Windows as far as interest. Since 7 has been out now for 2 1/2yrs. more and more are finally moving up to 7 including businesses that may turn around and frown at 8. This one is bound to generate some large varieties of mixed opinions for sure!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    1st W10 Professional x64/W7 Ultimate x64 - 2nd Remote system: W10 Insider Builds/W7 Professional
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Builds
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 975 Deneb 3.6ghz -2nd case AMD Atholon II 3.2ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper-X DDR3 1600mhz 16gb - 2nd case Kingston Hyper-X "Fury" DDR3 1600mhz 8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Radeon HD 5750 1gb - 2nd AMD Radeon 6450
    Sound Card
    Creative Xtreme Gamer - 2nd case Realtek Onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer 19" dual monitor setup - 2nd case HP 20" lcd
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 same on both builds
    Hard Drives
    1st build
    WD Caviar Black Edition Sata II 1tb two OS drives
    WD RE "Heavy Duty Sata II 2tb two Storage/Backup
    2nd build
    WD Blue Sata II 500gb
    WD Black Edition Sata III 1tb
    WD Green Power Sata II 1tb in external usb enclosure
    PSU
    Corsair TX750H 750w -Corsair 500w
    Case
    Antec 900-2 -NXZT Vulcan Mini tower/carrying handle
    Cooling
    120mm front pair, 120 rear 200cm top - 120mm Front intake 200mm side cover
    Keyboard
    Azio Blue led back lit both builds.
    Mouse
    MSI DS200 11 button programmable Gaming optical mouse - Odessa 3 button dual scroll trackball
    Internet Speed
    30mbps
    Other Info
    two MSI 22x ide dvd burners, 25 usb flash drives used for Linux Live, live data recovery 128gb, and Windows 7, 10 usb installation keys
I think the main problem is that most people are perfectly happy with Windows 7. That, and Windows 8 is generally unliked by the professional/enthusiast crowd, which is the people that actually download Windows previews.

the general public, who are sometimes not even aware of the existence of the registry, may absolutely love Windows 8. Except for those who absolutely hate the slightest change, no matter how much better.

Microsoft does need to have a mandatory (or at least hard-to-skip) first-run tutorial that covers basic gestures and shortcuts.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus Tansformer Book Flip TP500LN
    CPU
    Intel i5-4210U
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia Geforce GT 840M
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" Touchscreen
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    1TB Hybrid
    Mouse
    Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000
The initial reactions by the Pro/business orientated crowds would be the need to buy new hardwares namely touchscreen displays over simply upgrading to the next new version once they were ready for it. Just getting them to upgrade from XP to 7 has been much slower then for the typical home user novice or geek or somewhere in between.

Vista hit the biggest slump when MS understated the minimum system requirements that were actually needed stating things like 512mb of ram minimum when actually 2gb was even better for XP to see the older smaller version run better. For 8 the change of gui is the first thing you see over the option for two types of main desktop.

The other thing as you mentioned people being happy with 7 just happens to be another factor to consider that they are not or would be interested in jumping into the next version that comes along just because it does. The gadget lovers are certainly among those that will be taking a serious look at 8 once out in retail and likely be awed by touchscreen over those would want to remain with a traditional desktop whether Classic or Aero.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    1st W10 Professional x64/W7 Ultimate x64 - 2nd Remote system: W10 Insider Builds/W7 Professional
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Builds
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 975 Deneb 3.6ghz -2nd case AMD Atholon II 3.2ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper-X DDR3 1600mhz 16gb - 2nd case Kingston Hyper-X "Fury" DDR3 1600mhz 8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Radeon HD 5750 1gb - 2nd AMD Radeon 6450
    Sound Card
    Creative Xtreme Gamer - 2nd case Realtek Onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer 19" dual monitor setup - 2nd case HP 20" lcd
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 same on both builds
    Hard Drives
    1st build
    WD Caviar Black Edition Sata II 1tb two OS drives
    WD RE "Heavy Duty Sata II 2tb two Storage/Backup
    2nd build
    WD Blue Sata II 500gb
    WD Black Edition Sata III 1tb
    WD Green Power Sata II 1tb in external usb enclosure
    PSU
    Corsair TX750H 750w -Corsair 500w
    Case
    Antec 900-2 -NXZT Vulcan Mini tower/carrying handle
    Cooling
    120mm front pair, 120 rear 200cm top - 120mm Front intake 200mm side cover
    Keyboard
    Azio Blue led back lit both builds.
    Mouse
    MSI DS200 11 button programmable Gaming optical mouse - Odessa 3 button dual scroll trackball
    Internet Speed
    30mbps
    Other Info
    two MSI 22x ide dvd burners, 25 usb flash drives used for Linux Live, live data recovery 128gb, and Windows 7, 10 usb installation keys
The problem here, Folks, is that killing off Windows 7 is gong to be even more difficult than killing off Windows XP. 7 has to compete with one good Windows OS. 8 will have to compete with two.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Well, the stats are that fewer people are running it as more of a main OS than anything. But on the other hand, downloading of preview builds is HUGE!

I would assume that people are either a) installing it and giving a kick of the tires, b) realize that a stable Windows 7/xp that has ALL their user settings and programs installed and it would be a bee sting to reconfigure everything or, c) they don't like it.

I doubt c is the main reason.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
The ratio around here is two XP users, one likely to upgrade to Vista but won't 7, the other strictly XP forever, one Vista laptop user(novice user), and besides myself one other 7 user. The difference of course being I am the only one who dual or multi-boots OSs.

The decision was already made here to keep 7 as the main OS before the DP came along even. When needing something 7 won't support then 8, 9, 10, ? are likely considerations.

The problem with statistics is that they are based on general assessments not actual looks into each home to see who is running what OS. XP is far from dead with many as well as many Vista users refused to upgrade to 7. And likewise many simply skipped over XP entirely into Vista from 2000.

Here I bypassed ME, 2000 when upgrading out of the Legacy versions into XP until Vista arrived which ended up in a dual boot with the former until 7. For those that skipped XP into Vista and like the sidebar and gadgets they may decide to skip 7 in favor of the Metro and touchscreen in 8 once out and looking to upgrade into a new system as well as OS.

The stats can be way off due to the endless number of reasons why people may rush at or hold off when any new version arrives. Many certainly won't like running a Tablet PC OS on their desktops wondering what happened to the old familiars being the downside for 8 there. Those looking for "something new and blue" as well as the geeks will be the lookers!

The makers and breakers of 8 will how it is received for the most part especially if MS leaves no inbetween traditional desktop and Mobile looking OS options such as auto load to Start screen for desktop users. Until the RP is out in June however we are still looking at the beta renamed "Preview" but may not be seeing the full story as for what MS does have in mind but holding it off in the early stages. We'll just have to see if that's the case or not. :D
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    1st W10 Professional x64/W7 Ultimate x64 - 2nd Remote system: W10 Insider Builds/W7 Professional
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Builds
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 975 Deneb 3.6ghz -2nd case AMD Atholon II 3.2ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper-X DDR3 1600mhz 16gb - 2nd case Kingston Hyper-X "Fury" DDR3 1600mhz 8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Radeon HD 5750 1gb - 2nd AMD Radeon 6450
    Sound Card
    Creative Xtreme Gamer - 2nd case Realtek Onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer 19" dual monitor setup - 2nd case HP 20" lcd
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 same on both builds
    Hard Drives
    1st build
    WD Caviar Black Edition Sata II 1tb two OS drives
    WD RE "Heavy Duty Sata II 2tb two Storage/Backup
    2nd build
    WD Blue Sata II 500gb
    WD Black Edition Sata III 1tb
    WD Green Power Sata II 1tb in external usb enclosure
    PSU
    Corsair TX750H 750w -Corsair 500w
    Case
    Antec 900-2 -NXZT Vulcan Mini tower/carrying handle
    Cooling
    120mm front pair, 120 rear 200cm top - 120mm Front intake 200mm side cover
    Keyboard
    Azio Blue led back lit both builds.
    Mouse
    MSI DS200 11 button programmable Gaming optical mouse - Odessa 3 button dual scroll trackball
    Internet Speed
    30mbps
    Other Info
    two MSI 22x ide dvd burners, 25 usb flash drives used for Linux Live, live data recovery 128gb, and Windows 7, 10 usb installation keys
Hi there
Most of these stats are "Little Round Objects". Why should people take up W8 at the moment.

It's probably fun for a lot of people on these Forums who are better technologically prepared than Joe Public.

But why should you "Take up" an OS that is still in "Test Phase" to run your everyday "production" stuff.

Honestly peeps -- please get real.

W8 seems to be doing a grand job in its test mode. The fact that "Joe public" isn't taking it up is hardly surprising as it isn't even an "Official" product yet and the W8 CP version might be totally different from the released version.

Cheers
jimbo.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Centos 7, W8.1, W7, W2K3 Server W10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 X LG 40 inch TV
    Hard Drives
    SSD's * 3 (Samsung 840 series) 250 GB
    2 X 3 TB sata
    5 X 1 TB sata
    Internet Speed
    0.12 GB/s (120Mb/s)
The point is that Win7 was 2.5 times more popular at this stage than Win8 is.

Not a good sign for MS.

On the other hand, they can learn from that.

They still have time to give the customers what they want
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
I think they're planning on making such a high amount of money in Store and Metro eventually that they're not very concerned with current uptake of Windows 8 or even if enterprise latches on to it. (They're already making their money with 7 in enterprise, and others.)

No matter what people say or think about it, Windows 8 will find its way onto machines - ya know, OEM, friends/family installing for others. Heck, it is even on mine and it's all I use for the past months.

Then the money can be made to overcome any losses from those not migrating to 8. Win/win for them.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8250 x86 + 7 SP1 x86 + Ubuntu 12.04 LTS x86
    CPU
    P4 3.4 GHz HT
    Motherboard
    MSI-7211
    Memory
    OCZ 2 GB DDR @ 400 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    HIS AGP HD 3850 Turbo Ice-Q
    Sound Card
    MOTU Traveler firewire interface
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer x223w
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    WD Caviar Black 1 TB Sata II, WD 400 GB Sata I, WD 120 GB Sata I
    PSU
    300W generic
    Case
    Cybertron
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keyboard 200, Dell RT7D20
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
    Internet Speed
    2 MByte/sec Down, 250 KByte/sec Up
I remember the comments made about 7 being what Vista should have been! With the slump MS took on Vista people were ready to jump on 7 as soon as some good word from testers came along! It drew notice fast from Everyday User as well as the OS geeks. MS had an instant winner with 7 from the start.

With 8 being a second in line version as well as seeing the Metro changing the way things are it wasn't a followup on the success 7 is seeing but MS going in a different direction. The idea of the loss of the much expected popup Start menu now requiring bringing up a full screen presentation if you need to back to open a second window if not another app is the thing throwing people off.

Adopting any new version of Windows does take time as some are now finally moving up to 7 from XP or Vista. Some simply wanted to stay with Vista when not liking 7. For the people looking at getting into a newer version they simply have to weigh the Pros and Cons of what the next newer version offers.

With 8 MS is mainly focusing on the mobile as well as Tablet PC market bringing the touchscreen orientated OS. Where MS is likely to take a hit and learn from as SIW was saying would be the changes that will effect desktop users more so.

For the average noob shopping in a Walmart, Target, Best Buy, etc. they won't be worried about the Start orb button, Start menu, Shutdown-Logoff,-Restart options but what new thrills 8 will be like. They will simply press the on/off button.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    1st W10 Professional x64/W7 Ultimate x64 - 2nd Remote system: W10 Insider Builds/W7 Professional
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Builds
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 975 Deneb 3.6ghz -2nd case AMD Atholon II 3.2ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper-X DDR3 1600mhz 16gb - 2nd case Kingston Hyper-X "Fury" DDR3 1600mhz 8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Radeon HD 5750 1gb - 2nd AMD Radeon 6450
    Sound Card
    Creative Xtreme Gamer - 2nd case Realtek Onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer 19" dual monitor setup - 2nd case HP 20" lcd
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 same on both builds
    Hard Drives
    1st build
    WD Caviar Black Edition Sata II 1tb two OS drives
    WD RE "Heavy Duty Sata II 2tb two Storage/Backup
    2nd build
    WD Blue Sata II 500gb
    WD Black Edition Sata III 1tb
    WD Green Power Sata II 1tb in external usb enclosure
    PSU
    Corsair TX750H 750w -Corsair 500w
    Case
    Antec 900-2 -NXZT Vulcan Mini tower/carrying handle
    Cooling
    120mm front pair, 120 rear 200cm top - 120mm Front intake 200mm side cover
    Keyboard
    Azio Blue led back lit both builds.
    Mouse
    MSI DS200 11 button programmable Gaming optical mouse - Odessa 3 button dual scroll trackball
    Internet Speed
    30mbps
    Other Info
    two MSI 22x ide dvd burners, 25 usb flash drives used for Linux Live, live data recovery 128gb, and Windows 7, 10 usb installation keys
Microsoft Attitude to Metro

Has there been any recent softening in MS's attitude towards:

  • An option for direct boot to desktop, thus bypassing Metro?
  • Restoring the traditional start menu?
  • A version specifically for desk top users?
In my own case, I have stopped testing W8 until these features are incorporated, because I won't purchase it until they are. So there's no point in doing any further exploratory work until this is established.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    1st PC: Win7 Ultimate 64bit Retail. 2nd PC: Vista Ulimtate 32bit OEM
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self assembled
    CPU
    Ist PC: Intel quad core i7-960 2nd PC: Intel quad core i5-2400
    Motherboard
    DX58SO2 Extreme; Intel DH67CL
    Memory
    12GB Kingston DDR3 1300; 8GB DDR3 1300
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte GTX 550 Ti Graphics/Sound card; Onboard graphics
    Sound Card
    Gigabyte GTX 550 Ti Graphics/Sound card; Onboard sound
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung S24B300H; S23A350H
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    124GB Corsair Performance SSD SATA3; 120GB Corsair Force SSD SATA3
    Case
    Cooler Master CM690 II Advanced; Centurion 5 II
    Cooling
    CPU, Back, Top & Rear extraction fans both PCs
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Wireless Multimedia
    Mouse
    Microsoft Wireless Optical
    Internet Speed
    Theoretical max 100MB/sec Actual 0.5MB/sec
Poppa, sincerely highly doubt MS is going to do any of that, unfortunately.

There are technical reasons as well as the almighty $ reasons.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8250 x86 + 7 SP1 x86 + Ubuntu 12.04 LTS x86
    CPU
    P4 3.4 GHz HT
    Motherboard
    MSI-7211
    Memory
    OCZ 2 GB DDR @ 400 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    HIS AGP HD 3850 Turbo Ice-Q
    Sound Card
    MOTU Traveler firewire interface
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer x223w
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    WD Caviar Black 1 TB Sata II, WD 400 GB Sata I, WD 120 GB Sata I
    PSU
    300W generic
    Case
    Cybertron
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keyboard 200, Dell RT7D20
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
    Internet Speed
    2 MByte/sec Down, 250 KByte/sec Up
SIW2 has raised a valid point. Windows 7 beta was actually better than the final version of Vista, while Windows 8 Preview Edition is really not much improvement over Windows 7. Plus, XP users, who still liked their OS, were ready for a change. 7 users are not.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
I doubt it.

This is all part of a carefully orchestrated strategy.

You will recall the attempt to prevent other o/s being installed in the draft oem agreement.

You can see the push to get the unsuspecting into the MS clouds via the removal of choice and the metro UI.

Now there are allegations of an attempt to restrict browser competition on ARM machines.

You will have noticed the reduction of free skydrive storage - why do you think that is ?

I expect we will see more same kind of tactics.

It will be interesting to see how much they can get away with.


Has there been any recent softening in MS's attitude towards:

  • An option for direct boot to desktop, thus bypassing Metro?

  • Restoring the traditional start menu?

  • A version specifically for desk top users?
In my own case, I have stopped testing W8 until these features are incorporated, because I won't purchase it until they are. So there's no point in doing any further exploratory work until this is established.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Back
Top