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Market researchers from Gartner are pessimistic about the likelihood that enterprises will adopt Windows 8. Microsoft plans to release the new operating system October 26, and many observers say that Windows 8 is a make-or-break product for the company.
In a press release, Gartner said, “Microsoft is taking a big gamble over the next few months with Windows and Office, the two products responsible for most of its revenue and profit.” It continued, “It is a risk that Microsoft must take to stay relevant in a world where mobile devices with new modern experiences are becoming the norm.”
Computerworld reported that in a follow up webinar, Gartner analysts predicted that at its peak, Windows 8 will run on “just 20% to 25% of corporate PCs.” The article continued,”The reasons cited by analysts Michael Silver and Steve Kleynhans will be familiar to followers of Windows 8’s development: The two disparate user interfaces (UIs) of the OS, its tablet- and touch-first philosophy, its possible rejection by IT administrators as too much like Windows 7 on one hand, too different on the other.”
Information Week’s Paul McDougall noted, “IT organizations typically don’t start to seriously look at a new Microsoft OS until it’s been in the field for at least a couple of years. About 64% of respondents to a recent InformationWeek survey said that their future OS strategy involves ‘hanging on to Windows 7 as long as possible.’ A full 20% said they will stick with Windows XP, which Microsoft intends to discontinue support for in 2014, until the bitter end.”
And eWeek’s Nathan Eddy wrote, “While the redesigned interface could well appeal to users of tablets and other touch screen interfaces, such as desktop PCs, Gartner questioned its appropriateness for traditional desktop and notebook machines, which comprise the majority of the existing PC market. If Windows 8 does find success among organizations, its impact could be widespread, impacting the way IT departments deploy personal computing devices in an age of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) initiatives and the general consumerization of IT.”
