14 DAY TRIAL // We’re only a few days away from the public debut of Windows 8 and new comments supposed to emphasize how confusing the new OS actually is keep reaching the web.
This time, Michael Mace, the CEO of Silicon Valley software startup Cera Technology and a former Apple employee, told TwinCities that many Windows 8 users may feel lost in the new user interface.
“I am very worried that Microsoft may be about to shoot itself in the foot spectacularly,” he said.
Mace added that while Windows 8 indeed comes with several major improvements, users who do not possess advanced computer knowledge may feel lost, especially due to the changes in its GUI.
Salesforce.com’s CEO Marc Benioff said last week that Windows 8 may actually mark the end of Microsoft’s operating system, as customers are slowly migrating to cloud-based alternatives.
He called the Windows OS “irrelevant,” saying that the increasing number of alternative solutions currently on the market could make Microsoft’s product less attractive for more and more users.
“Now, we're not completely there,” Benioff added. “Everything is not heterogenous client, everything is not LTE, everything is not cloud ... But we're going to this great new place in our industry.”
Windows 8 will be released on October 26 and will be aimed not only at traditional computer users, but also at the tablet and mobile phone markets.
A special version of Windows 8 called Windows RT will be deployed on Microsoft’s first tablet ever, the Surface, while the latest rumors are pointing out that a Surface-branded phone could be launched sometime in 2013.