Ballmer: Windows 8 "demand" higher than Windows 7

Yeah yeah, heard it all before...!

Every new release of Windows they "sell" more copies than last time by ensuring the minimum numbers required to be taken by OEMs for Windows licences is more than last time; but the OEMs usually haven't paid any money out, as the machines are still waiting to be built or sitting in warehouses waiting for someone to actually say "I want one".

That's where the "$1 billion marketing campaign" comes from - subsidies to OEMs for "ordering" licences for a whole year rather than for a month - in order to get higher discounts. If the OS is not popular it'll be like when Vista was launched when places like Dixons bought into the idea that they would fly off shelves and overbought, pnly to be met with resounding lack of enthusiasm - and financial losses for the business year in which they had to pay for the machines loaded with Vista.

I'm not attacking the OS here, just the way Ballmer uses smoke and mirrors so clumsily. He's really like the worst kind of secondhand car salesman, complete with sweat.

By SwissMac on 30 Oct 2012

Does it really matter?

If Win 8 bombs then people and particularly businesses will continue buying the excellent Windows 7 for years to come, giving MS more than enough time to fix any problems and release Win 9. And it isn't even as if there's much competition on the desktop. There are some excellent Linux distros but they're squabbling over a very small share of the market, and OSX is starting to get long in the tooth. Chromebooks? Don't even go there!! As regards tablets, that's just another segment, desktop ain't going to go away anytime soon - to paraphrase Lenovo, those who do will use PCs, those who play will use tablets and phones.

By rjp2000 on 30 Oct 2012

Worth a punt for £25

I upgraded on Sunday out of a whim as much as anything. Win8 Pro has some advantages over Win7 Home Premium for a similar pricepoint to the OSX upgrades. Upgrading to Win7 Ultimate to get things like bitlocker, backup to network drive, even Domain connectivity would have cost three times as much at least. Suspect it'll take a few weeks to get comfy with the interface, and I won't be alone in having issues, but it's nice to have ways of working challenged every now and then.

By mfoggin on 30 Oct 2012

Windows 8 or Apple

I have installed 8 on two PC's now one with a touchscreen and the other without. The software begs for use by touch, a mouse as a back up is fine but a mouse alone is a pain. I have been in the Apple camp for the last couple of years, iPhone, iPad and MacBook. I am staying there. WIndows 8 is OK but years too late, Microsoft have had to play catch up and for anyone that is not into Apple and it's fairly seamless integration it is probably OK, a bit clunky for my liking and I have used every Windows since the very first version way back when. Windows 7 for me was the best. For what it is worth I avoided Apple for years and stuck with Windows for ages but then along came the iPhone, then the iPad and then I had to have a MacBook - no regrets!

By andymchardy on 30 Oct 2012

Windows 8 or Apple

I have installed 8 on two PC's now one with a touchscreen and the other without. The software begs for use by touch, a mouse as a back up is fine but a mouse alone is a pain. I have been in the Apple camp for the last couple of years, iPhone, iPad and MacBook. I am staying there. WIndows 8 is OK but years too late, Microsoft have had to play catch up and for anyone that is not into Apple and it's fairly seamless integration it is probably OK, a bit clunky for my liking and I have used every Windows since the very first version way back when. Windows 7 for me was the best. For what it is worth I avoided Apple for years and stuck with Windows for ages but then along came the iPhone, then the iPad and then I had to have a MacBook - no regrets!

By andymchardy on 30 Oct 2012

Windows 8 or Apple

I have installed 8 on two PC's now one with a touchscreen and the other without. The software begs for use by touch, a mouse as a back up is fine but a mouse alone is a pain. I have been in the Apple camp for the last couple of years, iPhone, iPad and MacBook. I am staying there. WIndows 8 is OK but years too late, Microsoft have had to play catch up and for anyone that is not into Apple and it's fairly seamless integration it is probably OK, a bit clunky for my liking and I have used every Windows since the very first version way back when. Windows 7 for me was the best. For what it is worth I avoided Apple for years and stuck with Windows for ages but then along came the iPhone, then the iPad and then I had to have a MacBook - no regrets!

By andymchardy on 30 Oct 2012