14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 8 still fails to excite, according to some analysts, while Microsoft claims that current sales of the new operating system are in line with those of Windows 7, the very successful product launched by the company a few years ago.
While some people are still reluctant when it comes to upgrading to Windows 8, James Lyne, director of Technology Strategy at Sophos, says that doing so is not a bad decision. Not from a security perspective, at least.
“Upgrading to Windows 8 isn’t a bad decision for businesses from a security perspective as it builds in new capabilities and improves on security from prior versions,” he told CNME.
“It’s important that businesses recognise that security built into the operating system isn’t a panacea and it is still critical to practice defence in depth to provide effective protection.”
Microsoft has only managed to sell a total of 60 million copies in two months after launch, but everything goes as planned, according to company officials.
It’s only a matter of time until everybody gets used to the new UI, Microsoft executives explained, so a better sales performance is expected this year.
Julie Larson-Green, the new Windows boss after Steven Sinofsky’s departure, said in an interview in mid-December that Windows 8 adopters typically need a maximum of two weeks to get used to the new Start Screen.
Tami Reller, Microsoft’s chief marketing officer and chief financial officer, has recently added that almost everyone finds the desktop in the first day with Windows 8, while also managing to install Windows Store apps in the very first hours after deploying the operating system.
“After two weeks, the average person doubles the number of tiles on Start. Live tiles engage people with content – by early January we had already delivered over 45 billion unique live tile updates. People find the new features in the context of what they are trying to do, and incorporate them into their everyday use after finding them,” Reller said.