Five reasons why Windows 8 has failed

Five reasons why Windows 8 has failed

Summary: The numbers are in and they don't lie. Windows 8 market adoption numbers are well behind Microsoft's greatest previous operating system failure, Vista.

By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols for Between the Lines
March 4, 2013 -- 18:46 GMT (10:46 PST)


Windows fans will whine, but Net Applications' desktop operating systems numbers don't lie. Windows 8's pathetic user adoption numbers can't even keep up with Vista's lousy numbers.

Windows 8 usage can't even keep up with Vista/s poor numbers. (Data from Net Applications)

The numbers speak for themselves. Vista, universally acknowledged as a failure, actually had significantly better adoption numbers than Windows 8. At similar points in their roll-outs, Vista had a desktop market share of 4.52% compared to Windows 8's share of 2.67%. Underlining just how poorly Windows 8's adoption has gone, Vista didn't even have the advantage of holiday season sales to boost its numbers. Tablets--and not Surface RT tablets--were what people bought last December, not Windows 8 PCs.

Windows 8, and its relatives Windows Phone 8 and RT, make no impression at all in the smartphone and tablet markets. (Credit: Net Applications)

Windows 8's failure is actually greater than it appears. The tablet and phone markets in 2007 were next to non-existent. Now, in a market where NPD expects tablets to out sell notebooks by year's end, neither Windows 8 nor its cousins Windows RT and Windows Phone 8 even appear on NetApplication's mobile and tablet reports for February 2013. How bad is that? Android 1.6, with is tiny 0.02% of the market, does make the list.

I predicted that Windows 8 would be dead on arrival last year, but it's flopping even more than I thought it would be. So, why has Windows 8 been such a failure? Here's my list:

see full report

 

[MrShowdown]

Metro is a joke, a failure, and everybody knows it. Sadly though, some refuse to admit it. It doesn't really matter though, Ms will either rectify their mistake, or see continues ridicule.

As for the predictable crowd who will rush in to the defense of 8(metro), don't bother. This is my opinion, and your shrill responses will simply be ignored by me.

Your post is the joke. Ha ha ha.
Back to your post, Yeah, metro was kinda ugly at first, but slowly getting affection by me.

 

[Hopachi]

Some like it, some (most) not...

But after seeing the charts: man! even Vista did better!

I use an 8 machine only because the new HP computer I bought came with Win 8.

Yep, also HP here.

 

[SmartEyeball]

Sheesh, the numbers don't lie people. 8 is a financial flop. Was always going to be and there's no surprise that it is. The majority have spoken.



However, I do enjoy using this flop



But enough with the Metro argument already. Don't like it? Don't use it. It's that simple.

 

[dencal]

With a little bit of common sense and imagination it doesn't take too
much thought to realise that W8 is a vast improvement on W7.
Unfortunately as school leaving reports suggest there are not to many
bright sparks around, and having hired some of these so called educated
people, have found numeracy and literacy were not their high points.
This of course means they have difficulty picking up new
ways of doing things.
And of course their only respite is to make excuses.

 

[Rickkins]

But enough with the Metro argument already. Don't like it? Don't use it. It's that simple.

I don't..!! I use 8 with classic shell, and I love it..!! No problemo..!!

 

[phillipduran]

In the meantime, Apple is resting on its laurels trying to make a watch or a tv they can sell, their operating systems are a mess on the backend, and none of their desktop applications support or can be built for touch and pen in their current state.
.

New iPhone coming this summer.

iPad refresh rumored for April.

High res screens for iPad mini.

Mac Pro updates look like they are headed this way.

Apple TV in the works.

Watches are in the works.

New Apple patents approved.

The only thing Apple is resting on is their huge pile of cash.


If you want a touch mac, get a mod book from the modbook guys. The modify Macbooks to make them touch screen tablets.

Apple released iOS for the touch crowd. They didn't make OSX their touch focused OS. Windows 8 did that however, combining the touch OS and the desktop OS into one system. How well has that been received by consumers? Maybe Apple made the right decision and Microsoft made the wrong decision in terms of tablet and desktop OS consolidation. How are the numbers stacking up to support this thought?

 

[mbratch]

With a little bit of common sense and imagination it doesn't take too
much thought to realise that W8 is a vast improvement on W7.
Unfortunately as school leaving reports suggest there are not to many
bright sparks around, and having hired some of these so called educated
people, have found numeracy and literacy were not their high points.
This of course means they have difficulty picking up new
ways of doing things.
And of course their only respite is to make excuses.

Blaming the lack of positive response to Windows 8 on a decrease in intelligence factors of the customer base? Nice. And completely speculative. Who's making excuses?

 

[phillipduran]

With a little bit of common sense and imagination it doesn't take too
much thought to realise that W8 is a vast improvement on W7.
Unfortunately as school leaving reports suggest there are not to many
bright sparks around, and having hired some of these so called educated
people, have found numeracy and literacy were not their high points.
This of course means they have difficulty picking up new
ways of doing things.
And of course their only respite is to make excuses.

Blaming the lack of positive response to Windows 8 on a decrease in intelligence factors of the customer base? Nice. And completely speculative. Who's making excuses?

It is the dumb people who will decide if Windows 8 is a failure or success. They far outnumber all of us smart and enlightened folks. We can call the users dumb all day long but in the end Windows 8 needs to meet their needs to be a success.

 

[SIW2]

LOL.

Apple TV is interesting. I have heard Jobsy was on it before he shuffled of this mortal coil. He was pretty excited about, apparently.

It might be rather more wide ranging than at first meets the eye.

 

[Coke Robot]

LOL.

Apple TV is interesting. I have heard Jobsy was on it before he shuffled of this mortal coil. He was pretty excited about, apparently.

It might be rather more wide ranging than at first meets the eye.

Highly doubt as they already have a TV box and that isn't really popular as it is...

 

[Lee]

LOL.

Apple TV is interesting. I have heard Jobsy was on it before he shuffled of this mortal coil. He was pretty excited about, apparently.

It might be rather more wide ranging than at first meets the eye.

Highly doubt as they already have a TV box and that isn't really popular as it is...

Why buy a TV box when new TV's are already being equipped with all the same programs that these boxes like Apple TV come with. Also an old PC/laptop can be use to stream Netflix, VuDu, etc., without the expense of these little TV boxes.

 

[Coke Robot]

LOL.

Apple TV is interesting. I have heard Jobsy was on it before he shuffled of this mortal coil. He was pretty excited about, apparently.

It might be rather more wide ranging than at first meets the eye.

Highly doubt as they already have a TV box and that isn't really popular as it is...

Why buy a TV box when new TV's are already being equipped with all the same programs that these boxes like Apple TV come with. Also an old PC/laptop can be use to stream Netflix, VuDu, etc., without the expensive of these little TV boxes.

Exactly.

 

[Hopachi]

Sheesh, the numbers don't lie people. 8 is a financial flop. Was always going to be and there's no surprise that it is. The majority have spoken.



However, I do enjoy using this flop



But enough with the Metro argument already. Don't like it? Don't use it. It's that simple.

I fully agree.

But sometimes you just have to repeat the same text on many threads that keep repeating the subjects.

For the rest, all good.

 

[Enigma]

I think MS made the right choice by adopting Metro/Modern as the basis of their OS of the future. In the short term people will complain that it is only made for phones/tablets and will say that it is stupid to use it on a PC. But in the long-term we will see the mass-adoption of touchscreen PCs, and that is the future of PCs. So in the long-term it will succeed even though it's not doing well right now.

 

[HippsieGypsie]

I think MS made the right choice by adopting Metro/Modern as the basis of their OS of the future. In the short term people will complain that it is only made for phones/tablets and will say that it is stupid to use it on a PC. But in the long-term we will see the mass-adoption of touchscreen PCs, and that is the future of PCs. So in the long-term it will succeed even though it's not doing well right now.

Great post, Enigma! I agree. Change is here. Market demand for touch is increasing. MS did not start this market demand. Mainly phone then tablet users did and is infiltrating into desktop PCs. I think MS did a fine job in their first attempt at this with 8. It works well with mouse and keyboard as it does with finger.

So it's not selling as much as past OSs histories, but it's selling. I didn't think it would be quick out of the gate. MS is in it for the long haul. I predict sales figures will be rising by late Spring to mid Summer, then get exponentially greater.

 

[mcnulty]

I think MS made the right choice by adopting Metro/Modern as the basis of their OS of the future. In the short term people will complain that it is only made for phones/tablets and will say that it is stupid to use it on a PC. But in the long-term we will see the mass-adoption of touchscreen PCs, and that is the future of PCs. So in the long-term it will succeed even though it's not doing well right now.

Or maybe, maybe, it ain't gonna happen because touch on a PC just doesn't make any sense at all.

 

[chrisa]

I think MS made the right choice by adopting Metro/Modern as the basis of their OS of the future. In the short term people will complain that it is only made for phones/tablets and will say that it is stupid to use it on a PC. But in the long-term we will see the mass-adoption of touchscreen PCs, and that is the future of PCs. So in the long-term it will succeed even though it's not doing well right now.

Or maybe, maybe, it ain't gonna happen because touch on a traditional PC just doesn't make any sense at all.

It'll happen. But not until people get a lot more comfortable interacting with Windows that way, probably through convertibles.

Phantom Swipe Syndrome is a real thing , just ask Apple users. It literally makes no sense to not allow and integrate the ability to touch and use a pen to manipulate a program or computer from *any* computer you own.

The tipping point is when traditional PC programs that work in concert with Apps start primarily designing their interfaces around the ability to fully take advantage of touch screen. An interface designed around one is significantly different from one designed around the other. At that point, using a mouse will start to become foreign and the less preferred method of interaction.

 

[DavidY]

But enough with the Metro argument already. Don't like it? Don't use it. It's that simple.

It may be that simple now, when most of the Apps in Windows Store are of a fairly simple nature, and you can easily get away without using them.

However suppose Office 2014 (or whatever the next one is) was Metro-only? If Microsoft aren't dissuaded from thinking that Metro is the future, presumably it's a strong possibility.

Sooner or later the corporate IT folk would buy it, and the full-screen nature of Metro would mean I'd get a lot less productive in my job (and would slow me down at home come to that). The advantages of Windows 8 (and yes, there definitely are some) would be totally outweighed by the cumbersome world of being forced to use everything full-screen.

 

[Coke Robot]

But enough with the Metro argument already. Don't like it? Don't use it. It's that simple.

It may be that simple now, when most of the Apps in Windows Store are of a fairly simple nature, and you can easily get away without using them.

However suppose Office 2014 (or whatever the next one is) was Metro-only? If Microsoft aren't dissuaded from thinking that Metro is the future, presumably it's a strong possibility.

Sooner or later the corporate IT folk would buy it, and the full-screen nature of Metro would mean I'd get a lot less productive in my job (and would slow me down at home come to that). The advantages of Windows 8 (and yes, there definitely are some) would be totally outweighed by the cumbersome world of being forced to use everything full-screen.

Most likely than anything, Microsoft will be releasing the Office apps individually in the metro environment. Maybe years later it will be a whole suite fully optimized for touch with full feature sets.

This crap takes time. Hold onto your trousers.

 

[mcnulty]

I think MS made the right choice by adopting Metro/Modern as the basis of their OS of the future. In the short term people will complain that it is only made for phones/tablets and will say that it is stupid to use it on a PC. But in the long-term we will see the mass-adoption of touchscreen PCs, and that is the future of PCs. So in the long-term it will succeed even though it's not doing well right now.

Or maybe, maybe, it ain't gonna happen because touch on a traditional PC just doesn't make any sense at all.

It'll happen. But not until people get a lot more comfortable interacting with Windows that way, probably through convertibles.

Phantom Swipe Syndrome is a real thing , just ask Apple users. It literally makes no sense to not allow and integrate the ability to touch and use a pen to manipulate a program or computer from *any* computer you own.

The tipping point is when traditional PC programs that work in concert with Apps start primarily designing their interfaces around the ability to fully take advantage of touch screen. An interface designed around one is significantly different from one designed around the other. At that point, using a mouse will start to become foreign and the less preferred method of interaction.

It's true that the two styles of interaction are completely different. That's why the hybrid nature of Windows 8 makes no sense. Of course, neither does touch on a desktop system.