4 ms·

Is it possible the unpopular Windows 8 could be a small factor in this too? i.e. people waiting until another revision of Windows is released.

by damian2000 13y ago

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
rm999 13y ago
I think so, I know one person who is literally waiting for a new OS and an older person who went to the store and returned empty-handed complaining he doesn't know how to use computers anymore. I believe he ended up getting an iPad. An analyst at IDC made a similar argument: >"At this point, unfortunately, it seems clear that the Windows 8 launch not only failed to provide a positive boost to the PC market, but appears to have slowed the market," said Bob O'Donnell, IDC Program Vice President, Clients and Displays. "While some consumers appreciate the new form factors and touch capabilities of Windows 8, the radical changes to the UI, removal of the familiar Start button, and the costs associated with touch have made PCs a less attractive alternative to dedicated tablets and other competitive devices. http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS24065413 http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS24065413
rogerbinns 13y ago
Windows and even MacOS is a factor IMO. When you have a device with them, you have to play system administrator. You need answers to virus scanners, backups, where your photos are, where you get software from, how you find software you installed, the never ending and frequent updates to everything and the list goes on. With iOS and Android, the average person doesn't have to care about any of that. It is right there or in the cloud. A web browser is sufficient to do a lot of "work": banking, documents, communication, social etc. For advanced uses there is an app. Your photos are right there when you take them with the device. The amount of babysitting and micromanaging is trivial compared to Windows/MacOS. Note that to get iOS or Android, you need to buy a tablet or phone instead of a PC. The problem with Windows 8 is that it is still Windows. It doesn't go anywhere near far enough in the lack of babysitting/micromanaging that characterise Android/iOS and if you get the version that allegedly does (RT) you end up with a tablet anyway. And it broke what people who wanted desktop Windows expected by being different enough from Windows 7 and predecessors appearing gratuitous. Nobody has evolved successfully - both iOS and Android started from scratch. Microsoft and Ubuntu are trying to evolve from desktop, but without much traction so far. (Of course there could be other reasons.)
genwin 13y ago
That's me. I need to replace a desktop PC but won't use the current version of Win8 and don't want to pay extra to downgrade to Win7.
- Stratoscope 13y ago
  If you like Windows 7, just buy Start8 for $5 when you get a Windows 8 system, and you won't even notice you're on Windows 8. It will just feel like a pepped-up Windows 7 system with a bunch of little improvements.
  - zmmmmm 13y ago
    Almost, but there are still a bunch of niggling annoyances. Eg: lots of things (such as viewing photos) still throw you into the metro UI by default.
zmmmmm 13y ago
I don't think Windows 8 is causing the decline, but what it is doing is failing to reverse it. Traditionally, a new release of Windows has been a driver of PC sales because it did new and useful things that people wanted. The problem with Windows 8 is that for a laptop it is pretty much on balance worse than Windows 7. (To be clear, it definitely does quite a number of things better, but it does about the same number of things worse, and the ones that are worse are right in your face while the improvements are mostly behind the scenes). I actually doubt Microsoft is too surprised by this. My feeling is that they pretty much wrote off Windows 8 as collateral damage from their push into the touch screen / tablet market which they consider to be essential to future survival. They may suffer huge losses in sales from Win8 licenses but the upside is that their new UI is getting forced in front of every consumer and business professional. That is something money simply can't buy. Come Windows 9, when the actually do something people want, people will be buying something familiar.

Is it possible the unpopular Windows 8 could be a small factor in this too? i.e. people waiting until another revision of Windows is released.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

rm999 13y ago

I think so, I know one person who is literally waiting for a new OS and an older person who went to the store and returned empty-handed complaining he doesn't know how to use computers anymore. I believe he ended up getting an iPad. An analyst at IDC made a similar argument: >"At this point, unfortunately, it seems clear that the Windows 8 launch not only failed to provide a positive boost to the PC market, but appears to have slowed the market," said Bob O'Donnell, IDC Program Vice President, Clients and Displays. "While some consumers appreciate the new form factors and touch capabilities of Windows 8, the radical changes to the UI, removal of the familiar Start button, and the costs associated with touch have made PCs a less attractive alternative to dedicated tablets and other competitive devices. http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS24065413 http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS24065413

rogerbinns 13y ago

Windows and even MacOS is a factor IMO. When you have a device with them, you have to play system administrator. You need answers to virus scanners, backups, where your photos are, where you get software from, how you find software you installed, the never ending and frequent updates to everything and the list goes on. With iOS and Android, the average person doesn't have to care about any of that. It is right there or in the cloud. A web browser is sufficient to do a lot of "work": banking, documents, communication, social etc. For advanced uses there is an app. Your photos are right there when you take them with the device. The amount of babysitting and micromanaging is trivial compared to Windows/MacOS. Note that to get iOS or Android, you need to buy a tablet or phone instead of a PC. The problem with Windows 8 is that it is still Windows. It doesn't go anywhere near far enough in the lack of babysitting/micromanaging that characterise Android/iOS and if you get the version that allegedly does (RT) you end up with a tablet anyway. And it broke what people who wanted desktop Windows expected by being different enough from Windows 7 and predecessors appearing gratuitous. Nobody has evolved successfully - both iOS and Android started from scratch. Microsoft and Ubuntu are trying to evolve from desktop, but without much traction so far. (Of course there could be other reasons.)

genwin 13y ago

That's me. I need to replace a desktop PC but won't use the current version of Win8 and don't want to pay extra to downgrade to Win7.

Stratoscope 13y ago
If you like Windows 7, just buy Start8 for $5 when you get a Windows 8 system, and you won't even notice you're on Windows 8. It will just feel like a pepped-up Windows 7 system with a bunch of little improvements.
- zmmmmm 13y ago
  Almost, but there are still a bunch of niggling annoyances. Eg: lots of things (such as viewing photos) still throw you into the metro UI by default.

zmmmmm 13y ago

I don't think Windows 8 is causing the decline, but what it is doing is failing to reverse it. Traditionally, a new release of Windows has been a driver of PC sales because it did new and useful things that people wanted. The problem with Windows 8 is that for a laptop it is pretty much on balance worse than Windows 7. (To be clear, it definitely does quite a number of things better, but it does about the same number of things worse, and the ones that are worse are right in your face while the improvements are mostly behind the scenes). I actually doubt Microsoft is too surprised by this. My feeling is that they pretty much wrote off Windows 8 as collateral damage from their push into the touch screen / tablet market which they consider to be essential to future survival. They may suffer huge losses in sales from Win8 licenses but the upside is that their new UI is getting forced in front of every consumer and business professional. That is something money simply can't buy. Come Windows 9, when the actually do something people want, people will be buying something familiar.