14 DAY TRIAL // Michael Mace, a former Apple executive and currently CEO of Cera Technology, says that Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system has failed to impress, mostly due to a number of mistakes made in the operating system.
Mace explained that Windows 8 is selling right now because Microsoft is pushing the operating system through OEMs, but end users are highly unlikely to go for this particular OS version.
He goes on to say that Microsoft could even sell a hamster with the help of OEMs, admitting that Redmond has very strong ties with most PC manufacturers across the globe.
“I think it’s pretty clear that the Windows 8 bet is failing. Windows 8 is being pre-installed on a lot of PCs, but that’s because Microsoft is pushing it through the OEMs. Microsoft could ship a hamster wrapped in duct tape, label it Windows, and a lot of OEMs would bundle it,” Mace explained.
“What hasn’t happened is Microsoft’s promised explosion in user demand for convertible Windows computers, followed by an explosion in developer activity that might drive future demand.”
However, Mace admits that bringing back the Start Menu in a future Windows release is a smart decision, but just like many users, he’s wondering how come that the software giant needed so much time to understand that this particular feature is a must-have in Windows.
“I think reviving the Start menu in these configurations is smart; it makes it easier for current Windows users to move up to the new OS. That’s such a no-brainer that Microsoft should have done it in the first version of Windows 8. The question is not why they’re doing it but what took them so long,” he wrote.
Microsoft hasn’t talked too much about Windows 8 sales lately, but the company is claiming that everything goes according to the plan, with many users actually making the move to the modern platform after the launch of Windows 8.1.