Forbes: Microsoft Is Fast Turning Into A Sideshow

[spenser.d]

ROFL: Love this piece "Mac OS is undoubtably powerful, but still lacking in user-friendliness" - Yeah, sure.

The fact that anyone would give Forbes the time of day tells me just how doomed we are as a species.

I would agree with Forbes there. If you aren't familiar with Mac OS, it takes a while to get used to and to find some of the things you might need (as evidenced anecdotally by me on the handful of occasions I'm asked by a family member to troubleshoot their mac). That's poor usability.

[Dot Matrix]

I would agree with Forbes there. If you aren't familiar with Mac OS, it takes a while to get used to and to find some of the things you might need (as evidenced anecdotally by me on the handful of occasions I'm asked by a family member to troubleshoot their mac). That's poor usability.

Mac OSX is notoriously bad to navigate.

[Navan]

Off-Topic: The amount of people spelling Lumia as Lumina is astonishing.

[DavidM]

Still, purchasing 70 some MILLION dollars worth of licenses? You bet they'll be deploying it. My point still stands.

I'd also bet they had a similar agreement with Microsoft for Vista, XP and every other version of Windows. This says nothing about the useability or success of Windows 8. I'm pretty sure there are TABLETS in use by the DoD, are you 100% positive that they got Windows 8 to replace Windows 7 on their desktops?

My point still stands as well, the DoD did not ENDORSE Windows 8, they simply extended/continued their agreement with Microsoft to use Windows and Office.

[Dot Matrix]

I'd also bet they had a similar agreement with Microsoft for Vista, XP and every other version of Windows. This says nothing about the useability or success of Windows 8. I'm pretty sure there are TABLETS in use by the DoD, are you 100% positive that they got Windows 8 to replace Windows 7 on their desktops?

My point still stands as well, the DoD did not ENDORSE Windows 8, they simply extended/continued their agreement with Microsoft to use Windows and Office.

Sounds to me like they'll be deploying 8 on desktops as well as mobile devices. 70 million is a lot for just tablets.

[Draconian Guppy]

Off-Topic: The amount of people spelling Lumia as Lumina is astonishing.

I... Love you...

Seriously... Damn I thought I was the only one noticing :p

On topic, man it's surprising how hard it is for some people to understand, the easiest thing to do, is give your opinion. Yet they grumble and argue about exactly that! Opinions!

o?pin?ion

/??piny?n/NounA view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.

The beliefs or views of a large number or majority of people about a particular thing.

Synonymsview - judgement - judgment - mind - notion - idea

[vcfan]

apple fanboy writing anti MS article. what else is new? really,this is starting to get OLD. You would have the same articles even if Microsoft sold 100 million licenses in the first month. These people never go away.

You can always tell when Microsoft is doing good when these sites keep hammering article after article about Microsoft.

Sorry guys,the market doesn't agree with you.

[Luis Mazza]

Fanboys are in denial.

Then comes acceptance. But if you, fanboy, wants to stop this cycle, why don't you show your history of Microsoft fanboyism and send those WITH CRITICS to Steve Ballmer?

The problem is... you agree with what's being done. That's why you'll never be a CEO of anything other than a grocery store and that's why he must leave Microsoft if he loves the company more than his own proud.

We all want Microsoft to succeed... But denying it's huge problems, as the ones listed in Forbe's article, won't help AT ALL.

[HawkMan]

I... Love you...

Seriously... Damn I thought I was the only one noticing :p

On topic, man it's surprising how hard it is for some people to understand, the easiest thing to do, is give your opinion. Yet they grumble and argue about exactly that! Opinions!

o?pin?ion

/??piny?n/NounA view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.

The beliefs or views of a large number or majority of people about a particular thing.

Synonymsview - judgement - judgment - mind - notion - idea

I stopped caring months ago. I realized it was hopeless.

[Dot Matrix]

Fanboys are in denial.

Then comes acceptance. But if you, fanboy, wants to stop this cycle, why don't you show your history of Microsoft fanboyism and send those WITH CRITICS to Steve Ballmer?

The problem is... you agree with what's being done. That's why you'll never be a CEO of anything other than a grocery store and that's why he must leave Microsoft if he loves the company more than his own proud.

We all want Microsoft to succeed... But denying it's huge problems, as the ones listed in Forbe's article, won't help AT ALL.

There's very little problems with Windows 8. Most are minor and don't prohibit user productivity. The new Metro additions are not problems, and set Windows and the rest of Microsoft's ecosystem up for an excellent next couple of years.

[Hum]

... Windows 8 is very consumer focused and not really business friendly with the changes implemented.

Consumers expect a fluid experience with their products ... Microsoft need something compelling there as well, they don't have that.

... it just doesn't seem to make it into consumer products at the rate it really should.

Maybe Microsoft should bring in the consumers to design Windows 9. ;)

[Luis Mazza]

There's very little problems with Windows 8. Most are minor and don't prohibit user productivity. The new Metro additions are not problems, and set Windows and the rest of Microsoft's ecosystem up for an excellent next couple of years.

Sure, Mr.

That's exactly what you and them are hoping for.

Unfortunately, your denial will survive even if MS does fail. But failing is subjective, as the company won't die... as your denial won't die either.

[francescob]

I think that if Microsoft hadn't forced Metro on Windows 8 (but on touchscreen computers it would have been perfect) it would have been the best Windows release ever. They did an astonishing amount of change to the shell interface (new task manager, new explorer file manager, new file copying system, etc.) and despite that it uses almost 30% less RAM, no previous Windows operating systems improved performance/user interface like that, not to mention it also runs on another architecture as well. I like Metro but with a mouse, a touchpad or especially when you're used to use only the keyboard it can be quite annoying, it runs perfectly on touchscreens though.

[Dot Matrix]

Sure, Mr.

That's exactly what you and them are hoping for.

Unfortunately, your denial will survive even if MS does fail. But failing is subjective, as the company won't die... as your denial won't die either.

Denial of what? Windows 8 is a little rough around the edges, but it's still a great OS. Metro isn't going away.

[+LogicalApex MVC]

I think that if Microsoft hadn't forced Metro on Windows 8 (but on touchscreen computers it would have been perfect) it would have been the best Windows release ever. They did an astonishing amount of change to the shell interface (new task manager, new explorer file manager, new file copying system, etc.) and despite that it uses almost 30% less RAM, no previous Windows operating systems improved performance/user interface like that, not to mention it also runs on another architecture as well. I like Metro but with a mouse, a touchpad or especially when you're used to use only the keyboard it can be quite annoying, it runs perfectly on touchscreens though.

Exactly. It is bone headed decisions like this that the Forbes article is getting at.

[Azies]

LoL When Microsoft and Neowin Fanboys are faced with criticism they discredit the author and organization in order to make themselves look like the right in the situation, tool bags.

[mzta cody]

There's very little problems with Windows 8.

Opinion.

Most are minor and don't prohibit user productivity.

Opinion.

The new Metro additions are not problems, and set Windows and the rest of Microsoft's ecosystem up for an excellent next couple of years.

Opinion.

The thing for me that elicits the most head-scratching: Why are some people so emotionally invested in a product that unending insistence on its being successful becomes a never-ending crusade? This goes a bit above and beyond mere "fanoboyism", and it's actually bizarrre and almost disturbing. This is usually the dogged defense parents reserve for their flesh-and-blood offspring, not for software products.

I mean, who really cares if some are perceived to be "hating" on MS? Is MS paying you for this (wasted) effort/ time?

[gadean]

Still, purchasing 70 some MILLION dollars worth of licenses? You bet they'll be deploying it. My point still stands.

I don't think you understand how software assurance works. The government is purchasing seats which come with licenses that include various products. One of the options is Windows 8 and Office 2013. But that doesn't mean it will necessarily be used. Same thing happened with Vista - the government had the licenses for it through software assurance but it was, for the most part, left unused.

[Luis Mazza]

Denial of what? Windows 8 is a little rough around the edges, but it's still a great OS. Metro isn't going away.

It's ugly and confusing and not made to be used by a mouse. That is enough of a total failure and sales are bad and will prove that even further.

Like it or not, sales are BAD for what Microsoft is used to. Also, they don't seem to have an outlook for improvement.

Regarding the mobile experience: it is also ugly and confusing. About the name: nobody can stand the name WINDOWS for another 20 years. That is also another huge problem that is often ignored by Microsoft.

[francescob]

Metro was an huge bet, had Microsoft not forced it for every users the manufacturers and software developers wouldn't have taken it seriously. Had Metro not being forced for all users the number of applications for it would be extremely low and Microsoft would have had an extremely difficult time transitioning to touch computing (tablets, convertibles, etc.).

Personal computers manufacturers have, for decades, proved to be extremely incompetent, selling all sort of crippled hardware (laptops with touchpads with all different sort of incoherent features, keyboard with function keys in the weirdest places (my last HP laptop has the function keys as normal keys under the ESC button, what the hell were they thinking?), super-expensive processors with extremely poor cooling or paired with an insanely low amount of ram or horribly slow hard drives, random proprietary devices with crashy untested drivers, etc.) because they know the average users rarely looks deeply into the specs, the only improvements we had were with every requirement enforced by Microsoft. Metro unfortunately is one of those, Microsoft will lose the bet only if touch-computing will end up being a fad (which I doubt will ever happen, with smartphones and touchscreens on everything nowadays) but they couldn't have done anything else. Had Metro not been mandatory they could have risked ended up crushed in the touch computing market due to the very small amount of applications (the Windows Store basically subsidizes part of the Windows license cost letting manufacturers selling hardware at cheaper prices).

[redfish]

Opinion. Opinion.

Opinion.

The thing for me that elicits the most head-scratching: Why are some people so emotionally invested in a product that unending insistence on its being successful becomes a never-ending crusade? This goes a bit above and beyond mere "fanoboyism", and it's actually bizarrre and almost disturbing. This is usually the dogged defense parents reserve for their flesh-and-blood offspring, not for software products.

I mean, who really cares if some are perceived to be "hating" on MS? Is MS paying you for this (wasted) effort/ time?

DotMatrix's comment was very polite and measured. There are a lot of comments on this thread that are rude and over the top. I don't know why you're picking on him and implying psychological problems with him.

[redfish]

Another article from Forbes.com besides the two I posted.

Has Windows 8 Failed As The PC Market Hasn't Boomed?

"Early data shows that the PC market has not experienced a ?pop? from Windows 8. Market watchers have been anticipating this pop since every previous version of Windows has led to a surge in shipments. PC vendors have also been hoping for this to lift their volumes. Volumes have been stagnant for a while."

...

I?m not sure that Windows 8 actually requires any hardware upgrade at all. Indeed, I?m hearing rumours that it?s actually less resource hungry than the version that went before it. Meaning that there just isn?t this impulse, or need perhaps, to upgrade the hardware.

No, I don?t know whether this is actually true: I put it forward only for consideration. No pop in PC sales doesn?t, necessarily, mean that Windows 8 isn?t selling. It could just be that Windows 8 itself doesn?t require leading edge processing power or memory capacity. Thus there?s less of an incentive to upgrade the hardware than there used to be with earlier releases.

[Dot Matrix]

Personally, I don't think MS has anything to worry about. There's nothing wrong with Metro on the desktop, as it brings to the user a new dynamic UX and unifies platforms. Keep working to improve the Metro UI, and unify the OS, and they're set.

I'm more excited for Metro than I am the bland, static desktop. As, lets face it, it's dull. It's a UX dead end.

[Draconian Guppy]

I stopped caring months ago. I realized it was hopeless.

I love you too ! :p

[HawkMan]

Opinion. Opinion.

Opinion.

The thing for me that elicits the most head-scratching: Why are some people so emotionally invested in a product that unending insistence on its being successful becomes a never-ending crusade? This goes a bit above and beyond mere "fanoboyism", and it's actually bizarrre and almost disturbing. This is usually the dogged defense parents reserve for their flesh-and-blood offspring, not for software products.

I mean, who really cares if some are perceived to be "hating" on MS? Is MS paying you for this (wasted) effort/ time?

Actually, it is a fact that you are able to pin more favorite apps to windows 8 for quick access than windows 7, it is a fact that they are easier to see and access, it is a fact that they are better organized am as you see fit. thus it is a fact that the start screen is more efficient as a launcher than the old start menu.

It's ugly and confusing and not made to be used by a mouse. That is enough of a total failure and sales are bad and will prove that even further.

Like it or not, sales are BAD for what Microsoft is used to. Also, they don't seem to have an outlook for improvement.

Regarding the mobile experience: it is also ugly and confusing. About the name: nobody can stand the name WINDOWS for another 20 years. That is also another huge problem that is often ignored by Microsoft.

how is it confusing, also the metro start screen works BETTER with a mouse than with touch. the only thing that works better on touch is the metro games that are designed specifically for touch.

Like it or not, MS doesn't need huge sales on this iteration of Windows, they need to set a base for windows 9. that means when windows 9 is released the metro UI is known and has a ton of apps already there when the next upgrade cycle rolls around.

and the mobile experience is confusing, despite the fact that it's been universally praised by all but the most fanboyish of android and iPhone reviewers.