Survey Says Half of Window 8 Users Prefer Windows 7: Shocker! It's a New UI

Windows 8 is still weeks away from release, but the preview versions have given many users a chance to form opinions. And, of course, there are always people who have opinions before they take an OS for a spin. To find out what people are thinking about the upcoming operating system, Windows 8 Forums recently surveyed 50,000 people and broke down the results. You might be surprised by what the survey found.

The stat that’s going to get the most attention from the public is that Windows 7 is still getting 53% of respondents to peg it as their preferred OS. Windows 8 slides in at 25%. That shouldn’t be too surprising: we’re all very familiar with the Windows 7 interface. Window 8 has a new UI and there’s bound to be a getting-to-know you period for many users – even for some who have tried the preview version. It’s pretty typical for changes to the Windows UI to cause a minor furor that dissipates several months after the OS is released.

Windows 8 on An HP Envy

Interestingly, the Windows 8 interface isn’t the biggest problem for many users. According to Windows 8 Forums, 35% of respondents pointed to the price as being a big issue for them. With pricing looking to be about $200 for people who don’t take advantage of the $40 upgrade, many respondents aren’t pleased.

Windows 8 Forums also notes that Windows 8 Surface got positive reactions from its readers, with 35% liking Windows 8 Surface as the tablet for them. It will be interesting to see how the numbers change (or don’) six months from now, when the dust is settling.

Joshua Gulick

Joshua Gulick

Josh cut his teeth (and hands) on his first PC upgrade in 2000 and was instantly hooked on all things tech. He took a degree in English and tech writing with him to Computer Power User Magazine and spent years reviewing high-end workstations and gaming systems, processors, motherboards, memory and video cards. His enthusiasm for PC hardware also made him a natural fit for covering the burgeoning modding community, and he wrote CPU’s “Mad Reader Mod” cover stories from the series’ inception until becoming the publication editor for Smart Computing Magazine.  A few years ago, he returned to his first love, reviewing smoking-hot PCs and components, for HotHardware. When he’s not agonizing over benchmark scores, Josh is either running (very slowly) or spending time with family.