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Initial sales of the Windows 8 operating system are said to be "well below" Microsoft's internal projections.
Citing a "trusted" source, Paul Thurott of Supersite for Windows said Windows 8 is off to a weak start, but Microsoft doesn't believe sales have been affected by the software itself. Instead, the thinking in Redmond, Wash., is said to be that PC makers have offered "lackluster" designs, along with limited availability.
That disappointment with Microsoft's PC partners is said to have further reaffirmed the company's strategy with the new Surface tablet, which is the first computer designed and manufactured by the company itself.
Thurott surmises that the initial disappointment of Windows 8 is related to a number of issues, including a slumping economy, confusing range of device types, and the touch-centric interface of Windows 8 Metro.
"The net effect of all this stuff, I think, contributes to a wait-and-see approach with Windows 8," he said. "And that is exactly the opposite of what Microsoft and even the broader industry should want at this time."
Word of disappointing Windows 8 sales came after it was announced that the head of the project, Steven Sinofsky, was leaving the company. Reports have said he was ousted by Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer, who allegedly had the backing of company co-founder and former CEO Bill Gates.
Sinofsky's departure has been compared to the recent purported firing of Scott Forstall from Apple. Forstall was in charge of Apple's flagship iOS operating system found on the iPhone and iPad, but also oversaw the transition to iOS 6 and Apple's new Maps application, which was regarded as a disappointment.
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187 Comments
[QUOTE]...but Microsoft doesn't believe sales have been affected by the software itself. Instead, the thinking in Redmond, Wash., is said to be that PC makers have offered "lackluster" designs, along with limited availability.[/QUOTE] That's true but MS has no one to blame but itself for positioning the Win OEMs to race to the bottom for scraps.
Microsoft to OEM: Its not us, its you! lol So, I guess we will see MS making their own computers soon as well. After the shift to making their own phones, tablets, and computers MS will rename themselves, Pear. When I picture Ballmer and Gates, I see this brash a hole getting what he wants and Gates doesn't have the balls to stand up to him. Sinofsky shouldn't have been fired, Ballmer should be. What good thing has he done since taking over?
Slumping economy? Yet every single apple product blows the doors off the store? The fact is that MS has a heavy reliance on corporate users. Windows 8 is not a business friendly OS... much like everything between XP and 7. Our company (a large bank) used XP until early this year when we started upgrading to 7. I asked our tech guys about 8 and they said that most of our software providers don't plan to support it or create software for it.
Microsoft to OEM: Its not us, its you! lol
So, I guess we will see MS making their own computers soon as well. After the shift to making their own phones, tablets, and computers MS will rename themselves, Pear.
When I picture Ballmer and Gates, I see this brash a hole getting what he wants and Gates doesn't have the balls to stand up to him. Sinofsky shouldn't have been fired, Ballmer should be. What good thing has he done since taking over?
But what will happen to HP, Dell, etc?
…Sinofsky shouldn't have been fired, Ballmer should be. What good thing has he done since taking over?
Balmer seems to be one of the world’s richest incompetent idiots!