Windows 8 Sales Off to a Slow Start, Microsoft Points Finger at PC Makers
Microsoft's vision for the future was, and remains, one in which we all embrace Windows 8's touch-friendly user interface (UI) across a variety of devices, and in time, that may still happen. As for right now, however, sales of Windows 8 PCs are falling below Microsoft's expectations, which has led the Redmond software maker to play the blame game.
Citing one of his "most trusted sources at Microsoft," Paul Thurrott at WinSuperSite.com says Windows 8 is off to a weak start, and internally, the company believes PC makers just haven't been able to deliver on the potential of its next generation OS. That, in turn, has served as justification to jump into the hardware business with Surface, a strategy that Microsoft's OEM partners haven't been real keen on.
Thurrott goes on to speculate why he feels Windows 8 is having a tough time gaining widespread acceptance, including the economy, the timing of Steven Sinofsky's departure, confusing range of devices, and other reasons. Or, as super geek Chris Pirillo has tried to show on more than one occasion, perhaps the interface is just too confusing for the average user.
Whatever the reason(s), it's pretty clear Microsoft has some work to do. In addition to Thurrott's un-named source, Newegg's Senior VP of Product Management, Merle McIntosh, told ReadWrite.com in a recent interview that Windows 8 hasn't exploded onto the market place the way Microsoft hoped.
"So we planned with our partners to be prepared for an explosion," McIntosh said. "Did we really believe there was going to be one? Even within our own building, there were some people that thought that this was going to be the next coming of God, and other people were saying, this will be the next coming of God, but not until next year sometime. What we wanted to make sure with our own customers and our own business is that we were ready for any event. So yes, we were prepared for some pretty big upside on the software side of the equation, and the hardware side of the equation, and it is has been steadily improving. But it did not explode, as I think you know, coming out of the gate."
As for Microsoft, the company has been pretty mum regarding specific Windows 8 and Surface tablet sales figures.
Citing one of his "most trusted sources at Microsoft," Paul Thurrott at WinSuperSite.com says Windows 8 is off to a weak start, and internally, the company believes PC makers just haven't been able to deliver on the potential of its next generation OS. That, in turn, has served as justification to jump into the hardware business with Surface, a strategy that Microsoft's OEM partners haven't been real keen on.
Thurrott goes on to speculate why he feels Windows 8 is having a tough time gaining widespread acceptance, including the economy, the timing of Steven Sinofsky's departure, confusing range of devices, and other reasons. Or, as super geek Chris Pirillo has tried to show on more than one occasion, perhaps the interface is just too confusing for the average user.
Whatever the reason(s), it's pretty clear Microsoft has some work to do. In addition to Thurrott's un-named source, Newegg's Senior VP of Product Management, Merle McIntosh, told ReadWrite.com in a recent interview that Windows 8 hasn't exploded onto the market place the way Microsoft hoped.
"So we planned with our partners to be prepared for an explosion," McIntosh said. "Did we really believe there was going to be one? Even within our own building, there were some people that thought that this was going to be the next coming of God, and other people were saying, this will be the next coming of God, but not until next year sometime. What we wanted to make sure with our own customers and our own business is that we were ready for any event. So yes, we were prepared for some pretty big upside on the software side of the equation, and the hardware side of the equation, and it is has been steadily improving. But it did not explode, as I think you know, coming out of the gate."
As for Microsoft, the company has been pretty mum regarding specific Windows 8 and Surface tablet sales figures.
