Apple has Windows 8 to thank for this. Windows 8 is an abomination of an operating system. The enterprise and SMB have refused to adopt it en mass, and the retail public has been fleeing it as fast as they can, holding on to their XP and W7 systems, and abandoning PCs by the millions in favor of simpler tablets.
The fools running Microsoft did this to themselves when over two years ago tens of thousands of beta testers told them that this was exactly what was going to happen and Microsoft refused to listen. Windows 8 has helped to accelerate the existing trend away from PCs instead of saving it as they claimed would happen and helped to take down every OEM hardware supplier and PC builder dependent on Windows PC sales as well, again as thousands of us predicted over two years ago.
People of the world have endured decades of victimization by Windows operating systems that have been bloated, buggy, balky, fragile and virus prone. Now people finally have alternatives, and none of these alternatives involve Microsoft products. Which is why Microsoft and their partners’ attempts to revive their fortunes by putting Windows on mobile (and bizarre tablet) devices are doomed. People don’t WANT Windows on their mobile devices. They bought their mobile devices precisely because they were fleeing Windows.
For those who still must use Windows because of the applications and the need to do industrial-level work, I’ve consistently steered both my business and consumer clients away from Windows 8 from day one to Windows 7 instead. For a long time now, that hasn’t been a difficult sell as almost everyone by now knows a plethora of friends and neighbors who are profoundly unhappy with their shiny new Windows 8 PCs, or have had the worse misfortune to buy one for themselves against my best advice.
I know people like to bag on Windows 8 but it is not that bad and 8.1 is better and as good as 7.
Supporting Windows 7 and server 2003 and 2008, I have yet to have a machine lock up or blue screen and we’re talking over 400 servers. I have had a few hardware failures but that’s due to HP and Dell and not MS. Comparing MS (software company & Apple who is a hardware and software company is apples to oranges).
Now we’re looking to go to 2012.
In over twenty years of IT, I have yet to see a MAC in the business world.
>>The enterprise and SMB have refused to adopt it en mass, and the retail public has been fleeing it as fast as they can, holding on to their XP and W7 systems
A marketplace manifestation I saw recently that supports your assertion: Costco was selling a tower PC only, no monitor. Maybe no mouse and keyboard, I didn’t look closely. Clearly a setup for the SMB buyer looking to upgrade.
The machine came preloaded with Win7 Pro, with a Win8 “upgrade” disc.
Win7 remains a fine OS.