Windows 8: The Microsoft Dilemma.

A new digital dawn is approaching.  Your world will be changed with faster boot times, new features such as touch controls and an application super-marketplace.

Yes, Windows 8 is coming, but before we get caught up in the hype, let's have a look back in time.

It's 2007 and everyone in the world uses Windows XP.  We all know it, we all love it, and it does everything we want it to. Ok, it’s not as fast as it used to be, (pre service pack 1 boots in about 40 seconds), but we've been using it for about 6 years and we are very comfortable.

However a new dawn is approaching and windows Vista is coming with the promise of making your system faster, sporting new features and an interface revamp.

Putting aside the fact that Vista needed more processing power and memory just to match XP and that the user account control asked 'are you sure?' three times each time you pressed the mouse button, Vista was on a losing battle even before it was released.

Everyone was really happy with XP, no one asked for a change and Microsoft had left us for a little too long on XP. We were being forced into changing, with threats of updates stopping and support being removed. Not to mention XP's withdrawal from new PCs and laptops.

At this point I would remind you that the vast majority of Microsoft’s income stream is from selling operating systems to computer manufactures.
 

Or to put it bluntly, Microsoft needs computer users to be buying their latest and greatest Windows operation system to drive their profits even higher.

Fast forward two years and Vista has had a service pack. Vista is generally a lot better, but the launch issues did their damage. Vista was, and still is, the pariah of the operating system world, but all was not lost, Windows 7 was coming.

The new kid on the block was based on Vista but had all the problems fixed, and it promised to be faster and have full touch capabilities.
 

Windows 7 quickly became King of the Hill, not just because it was faster and certainly not because of its touch capabilities, but because people didn't want Vista.

Now we are 2 years further along and Windows 8 is coming. It's going to be faster (again) and have touch capabilities (again) but the question Microsoft need to answer is simple - does the consumer want Windows 8?

If the answer is yes, then no matter good or bad Windows 8 is, we will accept it.

If the answer is no, then unless windows 8 is superior in most user perceived ways, then the public will shun it.

Either way, Windows 8 is coming and sooner than you think.

Although PC Solutions is a registered Microsoft Partner, we always provide impartial and honest advice to our customers. Windows 7 has its strengths, but in some situations XP or indeed Vista are better or the User is more comfortable with what they know.  That is why we will always do what we can to give the customer the best solution tailored to their needs.

To this end, we are working with a Pre Beta version of Windows 8, so that we can help you make informed decisions as to which Operation Systems is the best for your needs.

We’ll keep you posted on a regular basis about our Windows 8 experience but in the meantime have a look at these blog posts from our computer engineers:

First look at WIndows 8

Windows 8 Running on a laptop

If you have any computer or laptop problems, do not hesitate to get in touch and remember we operate a No Fix No Fee policy.