14 DAY TRIAL // Tech giant Microsoft has finally decided to issue a statement following the intense criticism it received after the Windows 8 launch, claiming that its new flagship operating system “is getting better every day.”
Back in October 2012 when the company rolled out Windows 8, many blasted Steve Ballmer and the other high-profile executives for removing the Start button, pointing to an overall confusion that kept users away from the operating system.
Then, everybody poked fun at the Softies for the poor sales of Windows 8, with unofficial stats revealing a rather slow uptake in the first months on the market.
While Microsoft initially remained tight-lipped on this criticism, the company now fires back with a statement that also attacks some media publications that blasted its operating system.
“In this world where everyone is a publisher, there is a trend to the extreme – where those who want to stand out opt for sensationalism and hyperbole over nuanced analysis. In this world where page views are currency, heat is often more valued than light. Stark black-and-white caricatures are sometimes more valued than shades-of-gray reality,” Frank X. Shaw, corporate vice president of Corporate Communications at Microsoft, said.
“So let’s pause for a moment and consider the center. In the center, selling 100 million copies of a product is a good thing. In the center, listening to feedback and improving a product is a good thing. Heck, there was even a time when acknowledging that you were listening to feedback and acting on it was considered a good thing.”
“So, what the truth?” you may ask. As far as Microsoft is concerned, Windows 8 is an excellent product, but the company also admitted that it's going to work harder to make it even better.
“Windows 8 is a good product, and it’s getting better every day. We are going to keep improving Windows 8, as we do with all our products, making what’s good even better. There will be people who agree, strongly. There will be those who disagree, equally strongly. All good, all expected,” Shawn concluded.
Microsoft has already expressed its intention to pay more attention to customer feedback and the upcoming Windows Blue upgrade due this summer is going to pack a few changes based on users' recommendations.
Word is that Microsoft could even bring back the Start button, but it's not yet clear whether it would launch a Start Menu or just serve as a shortcut for the Start Screen.