Is Windows 8 Killing PC Sales? Read The Fine Print: The Report Of Windows' Death Was An Exaggeration

Forbes ^ | 04/12/2013 | David K. Johnson

[SeekAndFind]

On May 5, 1907, The New York Times published a column written that same morning by Mark Twain on the news of his death the day before. “You can assure my Virginia friends,” said Twain, “that I will make an exhaustive investigation of this report that I have been lost at sea. If there is any foundation for the report, I will at once apprise the anxious public.” The event led to the oft-misquoted phrase: “The report of my death was an exaggeration.”

Everyone it seems, loves a good untimely death

So much so, the Wikipedia maintains a list of 219 famous erroneous death reports. Paul McCartney was reported dead on a radio show in 1966, with fans convinced he’d been replaced by an impostor. Pope John Paul II is on the list with the distinction of being the only known triple recipient of early death news reports. And the US House of Representatives cemented its reputation as the best comedy show in town when news of Bob Hope’s death was reported on the floor and broadcast on C-SPAN…five years too early. And so it goes with taking news at face value.

Even me

I guess I’m no different in proffering bold headlines of untimely deaths, but I do think it’s important not to take any data at face value. This week, the newswires are blazing with the news that PC shipments dropped 14% year-over-year. You’d think the zombie apocalypse was upon us (yes, there’s a list of false apocalypses too). But when I look at the fine print, I draw a different conclusion. Note that tablets – including the ones with detachable keyboards – are *not* included in the PC shipments figure.

[martin_fierro]

LULZ good question.

There are some at RIM that probably don't know.

[adorno]

I know it will cost at least twice as much but my next PC will be a MAC.

A MAC is a PC. Just with a different OS.

Furthermore, a huge number of people who do get Macs, also turn them into virtual Windows PCs, with the intent of running software written for PCs, which in reality is most of applications ever written.

[Erik Latranyi]

Some are blaming Windows 8 for slow PC sales.

But that doesn’t explain the drop in Macs, Androids and others.

The transition from laptop to tablet is part of the reason.

But the *REAL* reason is the economy sucks and people are not buying new technology as quickly.

PS: Windows 8 is fantastic! I sent this from my Microsoft Surface Pro tablet, loaded with Office 2013, and have replaced my laptop 100%.

One device for everything.

[jpsb]

Unix, Linux (really open source Unix).

[miliantnutcase]

PC’s are lasting forever lately. That’s the problem. No one sees a need to upgrade to the latest and greatest when their current stuff still works.

[newfreep]

Fast?

Size of SSD?

[prisoner6]

A couple of months ago mrs p6 bought a new laptop. It came with W8 so I was skeptical. All I did was set it up and let her go to see how she adapted migrating from XP.

Day 1: "I HATE THIS!" (same thing she said when we moved from '98 to ME or whatever)

Day 2: "Hey, these tiles are pretty cool. Still a pain to learn to use them. WHERE IS THE START SCREEN?"

Day 3: "Oh look at THIS. Charms and stuff...There are some things that I kind of like."

Day 4: "Don't care about the start screen anymore. Can you put W8 on our desktop?" (Answer NO...I could but it would be pushing the hardware. I'll just build another and use the old desktop and XP for the webcam, weather station and software that runs 24/7)

Day 5 to present: she loves W8, has had zero problems. The learning curve was a bit steep but I can deal with that.

The learning curve on my Infinitec Pocket TV (it turns our 52" TV into an Android tablet) was more difficult for me. It uses a Wimote type mouse with a smallish keyboard and runs with Ice Cream Sandwich. Waving my arm around for the mouse is a pain even though it works fairly well. I plan on replacing it with a BT keyboard and pad. FWIW I refused to update from '98 but when I did I was happy. Then I moved to XP because that's what we were using at work. Glad I did. It's been good for me over it's life.

Skipped Vista and 7 but after all XP is what....10 years old? Time to move on.

[Lx]

That reminds me, I need to pick a 48oz beverage before I visit his grave.

[CommieCutter]

I’m not on the Mac boat either. I continue to hear how they last for 10 years or whatever..I’m sure they’re good, not knocking them.

I’m decent with technology so I can handle the bugs that come with PC and I usually find laptops for 500 bucks that can last 5+ years or longer.

It’s not worth the money to me.

(I’ve had less problems since I switched to FireFox 5 years ago.)

[Terry L Smith]

Charts like this are fine, for those of 20 years of age, and no problems seeing all the colors of the spectrum.

Since I DO have problems seeing certain colors of the spectrum, this graph cannot be correctly interpreted to determine which percentage goes with which group!

As far as Windoze 8 matters, no, no, (CH)UCK NO!

[adorno]

Well sorry, but the customer is speaking now.

Actually, Windows 8 occurred because, Microsoft was/is listening to the consumer. The consumer was and is moving to the mobile platforms, and the touch-capable platforms. Windows 8 is a response to what the consumer was moving towards, and that consumer is still moving that way. The intent from Microsoft was to give the people the form factor, while keeping the power of Windows within those new tablet-PCs.

Microsoft would have been criticized if they had just upgraded Windows to Windows 8, keeping the traditional desktop intact. We'd all be hearing about Microsoft the dinosaur, not keeping up with the times or what people are wanting.

Microsoft responded with an OS which serves the traditional desktop and the new touch-capable mobile devices. No other OS can do both, except Windows 8. And, people who complain about the new UI or the metro interface, don't have to use it, and can go directly to the better-known desktop, with no problems. IN fact, the desktop is virtually unchanged from Windows 7, and the OS actually works faster than Windows 7. People complain about the "Start" menu or start button missing, but, most people hardly ever used it, including me. Most of what people use, they put on the desktop for immediate access.

But, the start menu is still available with Windows 8, except that, it looks different, and it's immediately in-your-face as soon as one turns on the PC. It's called the "Start" screen, and all applications that one wishes to use, are on that screen, and all others that aren't immediately apparent, but are a couple of click away from being displayed.

Change is difficult for people, even if the change actually makes things a lot simpler than before the change. Windows 8 serves multiple purposes and multiple platforms. And it all works quite well. It just takes a few minutes to get used to how it works. The Start screen may not have been the prettiest design that MS could have come up with, but it's functional attributes can't be denied.

[Wiggins]

Exactly. Most of customers use PCs for the Internet, email and some light word processing. Many of them are still using Windows XP because it still works fine for these tasks.

[knews_hound]

My next PC at work will be a surface tablet.

I want/need the ability to take the same device from the desktop to the field.

I’m currently using a desktop that I then have to RDP into from a iPad. What a horrid experience THAT is.

The ability to seamlessly use the same device everywhere is a Godsend.

Cheers,

knewshound

[Right Wing Assault]

Since I DO have problems seeing certain colors of the spectrum, this graph cannot be correctly interpreted to determine which percentage goes with which group!

Well, I can see colors fine, but whoever made this graph used the same shade of gray for two wedges and the same shade of blue for two wedges. There ARE enough colors in this world so you don't have to double up twice on something this simple.

Their color squares before the names on the right are tiny. They should also write the percentages right after the squares and before the names, since they put them not in high to low order, but in clockwise order.

The thing was probably designed by an 'artist' who wanted style over function. The kind of person who would use three shades of purple for stoplights and make them squares, circles, and triangles.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Blackberry Playbook

[ejonesie22]

Not yet. Good for some things but can’t capture the desk top and does not hold the server market because of Windows active directory.

Remember we are not talking about what IT people like but what creates a working environment for the average user.

[Caipirabob]

and we’re seeing Windows 8 & Windows RT tablets starting to take hold?

I work in IT and I have never even seen one outside of the showroom.

I don't think people are "buying it".

[Caipirabob]

But the *REAL* reason is the economy sucks and people are not buying new technology as quickly.

And we have a winnah!

[ejonesie22]

And that’s why Microsoft holds the fort. They maybe slow but when they get there..

[BobL]

“Change is difficult for people...”

Suck me. The sales results show that MS screwed up, and BIG TIME. I know that MS works for both, so why didn’t they configure it based on the platform, brain child?