Organizations prefer to wait for Windows 9 before choosing their new OS

Sep 9, 2014 09:19 GMT  ·  By

Windows 9 is on the radar, and Microsoft is set to deliver the first beta of this operating system sometime this month, but all rumors pointing to an imminent launch of a new version are actually having a negative impact on the migration off Windows 7.

Microsoft’s Windows 7 will reach end of mainstream support on January 13, 2015, while extended support will be halted on January 14, 2020, so some organizations across the world are already preparing for the migration to a newer operating system.

Naturally, Windows 8 is considered to be the most obvious destination for all those who are running Windows 7 or an older version, but this isn’t the case right now, pretty much because of the criticism received by Microsoft’s modern platform.

Windows 8 is the new Vista

Ric Getter, a programmer and analyst at Portland Community College, in Portland, Ore., told TechTarget in a statement that Windows 8 was on track to become the new Vista, pretty much because it failed to reach expectations and it was still behind old Windows versions in terms of adoption and market share figures.

"As is the case with many other shops, there is a good deal of concern that Windows 8 will be just another Vista,” he said.

And he does have a point here. Windows 8 is at this point powering between 6 and 7 percent of the desktop computers worldwide, with stats indicating that it still has a hard time competing with both Windows 7 and Windows XP.

Windows 8 was launched in October 2012, and early adoption was extremely disappointing, as new users were often criticizing Microsoft for the amount of changes made to the desktop.

Windows 9 rumors everywhere you look

Windows 9, on the other hand, is expected to fix all these things and regain users’ lost trust in an operating system that still remains the best choice for the desktop.

With a beta coming as soon as this month, many users are delaying the move off Windows 7 in order to get a taste of the new operating system, especially because people close to the matter point to quite a lot of improvements.

One of the biggest changes is the addition of a Start menu that would mix the traditional Windows 7 design with modern elements such as live tiles. At the same time, Microsoft might finally introduce multiple desktops, a feature that has been requested by users since a few years ago.

Last but not least, Microsoft might use Windows 9 to better separate the desktop from the Metro UI, so the Charms bar will be removed and made available only in SKUs launched for tablets.