Slow uptake of Windows 8

Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 8, will not move the desktop sector and 90% of businesses will bypass its initial deployment, says Gartner.

Speaking at the Gartner Symposium, in Cape Town, senior VP of research, Peter Sondergaard, said Microsoft has challenges ahead and however good it sees its prospects with Windows 8, it will not move the desktop market. A lot of organisations do not see the business value in migrating immediately and would rather wait for the next version, as they do not have the appetite for risk, he noted.

“You just don't jump into things with both feet immediately.”

Windows 8 has been hailed as a major step for Microsoft as it completely revamps its traditional operating system design and user interface. The new system is being designed to create a cohesive user experience across all devices. Sondergaard added that consumers will adopt the upgrade.

Microsoft is also making a 90-day evaluation version of Windows 8 Enterprise available - intended for use by developers, but available to anyone wanting to take the RTM release for a test drive. The evaluation version will, however, not be upgradable to a non-evaluation version.

So far, reports suggest the final version of Windows 8 RTM will not be much different from the last public preview release. The most obvious changes are the addition of new backgrounds for the start screen, new apps in the Marketplace and the renaming of Windows Explorer to “File Explorer”.

Windows 8 will be taken up by tablets and phones, which will get an optimised interface, said Sondergaard. Gartner expects that Windows 8 will take third place behind Apple's operating system and Android.

By 2016, more than 900 million tablets will have been bought, taking the device to one out of every eight people, noted Sondergaard. There were more mobile devices in 2010 than desktops.

By 2014, the mobile operating system will have an installed base that is larger than desktop PCs. He said IT must reimagine the way it provides applications, as we are now in the second generation of mobile.

Sondergaard pointed out that the “nexus” is already challenging established vendors, such as Microsoft, HP and Cisco, which are aware of the shift, but cannot react fast enough. These companies are already facing financial issues, he commented.

Microsoft last month reported its first quarterly loss as a public company as it took a previously announced hit for writing down the value of its ailing online unit, but held up better than expected despite stagnant computer sales.

Companies such as Facebook, Amazon and Google will not behave like traditional vendors and will be more disruptive, Sondergaard said. Nokia, Motorola and Research In Motion were the top mobile vendors a few years ago, but are struggling to move away from pure mobile to the nexus.

* Nicola Mawson is hosted at the symposium courtesy of Gartner.