A Blow to Microsoft as Notebooks begin to Ship without Windows
In the Post PC era, traditional Microsoft notebook vendors are revolting due to poor Windows 8 sales. The most vocal vendor to date has been Samsung in regards to Windows 8 on phones and tablets, but Windows 8 for PCs are well below expectations as well. It's been noted that ChromeBooks from Acer and other vendors are eating into Windows 8 sales. And because of this new trend, traditional first-tier notebook brand vendors including Lenovo have reportedly been raising their shipment proportions of models without an operating system to attract consumers.
Due to Windows 8 having failed to boost consumer demand as expected and notebook prices are seeing difficulties to drop further, some first-tier notebook vendors have decided to increase their supplies for models without an OS to push their shipment performances, reports DigiTimes.
Shipments of notebook models without the Windows operating system have always existed, but the volume was limited due to Microsoft's strong influence in the past.
Lenovo is expected to mainly ship the notebook models to China, where software piracy is still rampant, but the sources believe that the China vendor's strategy may draw its competitors to follow suit and increase their shipments of notebooks without an OS.
Seeing Windows 8 has an unsatisfactory performance, Microsoft is aggressively developing its upcoming Windows Blue, which reportedly will be ready in August.
Patently Apple covered the Microsoft event unveiling Windows 8 with their new Metro UI which no longer carries that branding. While impressive for tablets, the new user interface for PCs was always in question by most in the press. Our cover graphic for that report openly questioned: Windows 8, Winner or Loser?
Although the new touchscreen display centric user interface will make more sense over time for Ultrabook Convertibles arriving this summer, the new interface is considered a turnoff by most consumers wanting a tradition desktop for work. The Metro-Styled UI should have been an option for traditional desktop PCs and notebooks and not forced upon consumers. That was a big gamble for Microsoft and it's obviously one that consumers have said is a failure by not upgrading to the new hardware. The leap to a radical user interface has been too much for most. To make it worse, most of today's notebooks using the new user interface don't come equipped with a touchscreen which makes navigation of this new user interface anything but fun or intuitive.
The message derived from today's news from notebook vendors appears to be that they want Microsoft to quickly rethink their Metro-Styled UI as the default user interface … or else. With Google's Chromebook gaining popularity, the pressure is on for Microsoft to react sooner rather than later.
Another example of that microsoft tax
Posted by: Sandman619 | March 19, 2013 at 09:34 AM
I don't think this had anything to do with "performance," Odo.
With the new Ultrabook Convertibles coming out this summer, Microsoft should by default use the traditional Windows UI in notebook mode and the Metro-styled UI as default in tablet mode. Time will tell what they'll do, but for now, vendors dropping Windows isn't good news for Redmond.
Posted by: Jack Purcher | March 19, 2013 at 09:31 AM
Oh, Micro$oft...
Windoze 8 is another Vista, but not for the same reasons. They'll come out with something that's improved, but they'll still force people to pay for their (Micro$oft's) mistakes, again, just to upgrade to something usable for the masses.
Posted by: Red | March 19, 2013 at 08:29 AM
I had no idea Windows 8 didn't perform up to par. So many of the reports I'd heard said that Windows 8 was faster than Windows 7 but it's just that computer users didn't need to upgrade merely for the latest features Windows 8 offered. Microsoft will just have to charge more to consumers deciding to use Windows 8 in order to make up their losses from OEM suppliers. Microsoft will never lose money selling Windows. It's their core product and main cash-cow.
Posted by: Constable Odo | March 19, 2013 at 08:02 AM