Windows 8 Will PC Users Switch

By admin on Monday, December 19, 2011 - 10:45

Not according to research firm IDC. In an article on Computerworld the research company said that many PC users will not switch over to Windows 8 when it launches next year but wait a few years. The reasons for this delay in moving over to the new OS are the increasing uptake in Windows 7 OS by both companies and individual users as the support for Windows XP comes to an end and a worry over a lack of applications that will successfully work with Windows 8.

Migration Fatigue

The fact that many businesses are currently moving onto Windows 7 and won't therefore want to switch immediately to Windows 8 was already highlighted earlier on in the year by Gartner who called it 'migration fatigue'. The fact is it takes a lot of time, effort and money moving over a company's computer system and no-one wants to do this more times than is absolutely necessary.

No Advantage to Home Users

Meanwhile, both IDC and Gartner believe that Windows 8 doesn't offer enough incentives for individual home users to want to switch to it away from Windows 7. Whilst the Metro style Start Screen looks good and works like a dream on tablets, it is cumbersome for mouse and keyboard users. Plus, until more applications are configured to work with the Metro tiles, most home users will stick to what they know; Windows 7. And Windows 7 is certainly on the rise; recent sales figures from Microsoft for Windows 7 show an increase in licences of 240 million since October 2010, to 450 million. And according to Web metrics company, Net Applications, Windows 7 now powers 38% of Windows PCs, an increase of 16% in one year.

App Store only Advantage

As far as IDC are concerned, the only advantage Windows 8 has over Windows 7 is the in-built app store connecting users to Microsoft's own application store. But again, this is, they feel, of more use to tablet users who are more likely to buy new apps than PC users. And again, IDC warns that Microsoft will have to convince enough app manufacturers that the Metro Windows 8 interface was one worth designing for.

What do you think? Will you be switching to Windows 8? Let us know.