TechWeekEurope Readers Plan To Shun Windows 8

Windows 8 launches today, but don’t expect massive queues outside the Currys store on Tottenham Court Road for the midnight launch. There won’t be many TechWeekEurope readers there anyway, as our poll shows they are not chomping at the bit to get their hands on Microsoft’s OS.

Just 10 percent of 734 readers who took part said they were going to get Windows 8 in the next six months. Around 64 percent said they were definitely not going to buy into the OS, and were happy to stick with Windows 7 (45 percent) or XP (19 percent)- and less than 15 percent want to use it, even after the first software update shows it has settled in.

[Figures updated: After the launch, attended by our reporter Max Smolaks, we had a surge of voting so we have added new figures to this story]

Out with the new, in with the old

Around one-fifth (22 percent) said they had no current plans to start using the new Windows, whilst 19 percent were fine on their Windows XP machines.

So despite years of development, and a gamble on moving over to a more tablet and touch-friendly operating system, Windows 8 could be a flop in terms of sales.

Analyst Gartner agrees that it won’t get much traction in business. It predicts 90 percent of businesses won’t bother moving from an older version of Windows to the latest iteration through to 2015.

“Most enterprises and their trusted management vendors are not yet prepared for this change, and Gartner predicts that enterprises will want to wait for more stability before proceeding,” Gartner said.

“While Microsoft as a technology company can make these changes at a more advanced pace, the preponderance of the customer base cannot move so quickly. The market will take time to mature, and most enterprises will sit on the sideline for now.”

Many are looking forward to testing out the OS, which has had a number of positive reviews. Yet big names in the industry have heaped opprobrium on Windows 8.

Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff said it marked the beginning of the end for Windows, as people move to cloud-based environments. Gabe Newell of game company Valve Software describes Windows 8 as a “catastrophe”.

Over the next year, Microsoft will hope that wide adoption across general users, businesses and developers proves the naysayers wrong. At the minute, the Redmond giant appears to be losing the fight.

Update: A surge of interest nearly trebled the number of votes on this poll over the weekend after Windows 8 launched, so we have updated it. The “interest” in the product seems to be theoretical only: the number of enthusiasts actually dropped after the product launched. 

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