14 DAY TRIAL // With so many analysts expressing their views on Microsoft’s new Windows 8, it’s almost impossible to tell for sure whether the new operating system is good or bad.
Frank Gillett, an analyst at Forrester, said in his report called “Microsoft: The Next Five Years” that 2013 would be a very tough year for Microsoft, as Windows 8 is not expected to succeed on the short term.
It would do it on the long term, the analyst believes, as this is a “bold, original and impressive” operating system.
This is “the most radical overhaul since the original Windows replaced DOS,” the analyst explained.
Gillet admitted that users may be a little confused at first, especially due to the new interface design, but it’s all just a matter of time until they get used to it. Both the Surface and the desktop operating system are going to impress on the long term.
"The transition to Windows 8 is simply the first step of Microsoft's transformation," the report reads.
Microsoft however won’t manage to impress in the tablet market and Apple will remain the clear leader of the segment, the analyst believes. Instead, the Redmond-based company’s ace up its sleeve will remain the traditional PC market and its Windows operating system.
Unsurprisingly, Salesforce.com’s CEO Marc Benioff has an entirely different view on Windows 8 and said last weekend that this new version marks the end of Windows.
Microsoft’s operating system lacks the necessary technology to address users’ needs, Benioff said while pointing out that cloud-based services will play a key role in the IT industry.
“Now, we're not completely there,” Benioff added. “Everything is not heterogeneous client, everything is not LTE, everything is not cloud. [...] But we're going to this great new place in our industry.”