Windows 8 was built with a mission – to modernise the PC experience. The animated live tiles on the home screen that conjured up fresh information were crucial to this mission.
"There's tons of stuff on the Internet," says Sam Moreau, director of design and research for Windows. "And your PC basically has this little straw — Internet Explorer — to see all this. We didn't think that should be the case. The whole PC should be about that. Part of what the Start screen is really about is making all this activity — these people that you care about, and all this information — sort of explode so you're immersed in it."
Well, a good idea but it came two years too late in 2012. Apple's iOS and Google's Android had already taken massive leaps with end-user experiences, on smartphones as well as tablets.
AP
Windows 8.x did cross the 10% barrier in December of 2013. Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 ended the year with 6.89% and 3.60% apiece for a combined 10.49% total market share.
In the month, Windows 7 picked up 0.88% market share, as Windows XP fell below the 30 percent mark, shedding 2.24% to land at 28.98% in the month. While Windows 8.x's market share growth is probably still under what Microsoft wants, enterprise adoption of Windows 7 appears strong as the end of Windows XP approaches.
Windows 8 gained 0.23% market share in December, an almost surprising figure given the general availability of Windows 8.1, a free upgrade. The latter did pick up 0.96% in the month.
The reasons behind the tepid response are quite out there.
Price price, baby…
The initial barrier would be pricing. With a US$ 500+ price tag, for an OS that's not exactly the most sought after, it's not a surprise that consumers shy away from this option. And when it comes to the enterprise, which takes quite a big chunk of Windows user base, business are quite content with Windows 7 running on their desktops.
Uh, where are the apps?
After much huffing and puffing, the Windows app store has managed to cross 100,000 apps, but is still a long way off from iOS and Android. But users are not much impressed by the quality of apps available. Hopefully, the Windows 8.1 store is set to change that perception.
Aargh... I just can't get the hang of this!
The major advantage Apple had with its iPad was that by the time it launched, everyone was so used to the iPhone that the transition seemed only natural. When something as ubiquitous as Windows was being launched on a tablet, we all thought, how hard can it be? But the live tiles format did come in a as a little bit of a UX shock. Most people must have spent their initial few hours with a Windows 8 device hunting for the Start button. Even mundane things such as battery information weren't directly visible on the home screen.
With Windows 8.1 upgrade, the trusty Start button is back and users also have a boot to desktop option which completely bypasses the tile display interface.
Microsoft has a long way ahead of itself if it wants to make its mark in this space. Will Windows 9 be a game changer?
via Technology - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFokU0JShr-DVELDxVLGqhPOfqMxQ&url=http://www.firstpost.com/tech/why-microsoft-is-fighting-a-losing-battle-with-windows-8x-1324719.html
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