Windows

Windows 8 slower out of gate than Windows 7, says report

Windows 8 is playing second fiddle to Windows 7, at least in Internet traffic, according to data out today from StatCounter.

Over the four-week period ending November 26, Windows 8 had grabbed a worldwide Internet usage share of just 1.31 percent, the Web traffic firm said.

In comparison, Windows 7 had achieved a global Internet usage share of 4.93 percent during the one month after its debut in October 2009.

Both operating systems officially launched in October during their respective years. However, both were also available as freely downloadable release candidates prior to their official debuts.

StatCounter's … Read more

Windows 8 launches... and PC sales drop 21 percent. Hmm

Windows 8 isn't exactly lighting a fire under PC sales, according to NPD.

U.S. sales of Windows devices during the initial four-week launch of Windows 8 dropped 21 percent compared with the same period a year ago, the research firm said today.

Notebook sales, which have been on the decline all year, sunk by 24 percent. And desktop sales, which staged a bit of a rebound this year, declined by 9 percent.

"After just four weeks on the market, it's still early to place blame on Windows 8 for the ongoing weakness in the PC market,&… Read more

Windows 8 off to an awkward start, Nomura says

The Windows 8 debut is off to an "awkward" start, Nomura analyst Rick Sherlund says, and that doesn't bode well for Microsoft's financial results.

Microsoft last month launched the newest version of its operating system, which incorporates more tablet-like features such as touch capabilities. The company is making a big bet with the new OS, counting on the software to help fend off competition from the iPad and other mobile devices. But there have been worries that Windows 8 demand is sluggish, with consumers instead opting for tablets.

Sherlund noted that PC vendors have been slow … Read more

Windows 8 moves to BIOS-based product keys

Windows 8 PCs now embed their product keys in the BIOS, a move that offers both pros and cons.

In the past, a new Windows PC would display its product key on a sticker, usually on the side of a desktop and on the base or the bottom of the battery compartment on a laptop. But with Windows 8, Microsoft has switched gears and now stores and encrypts the key in the BIOS instead.

A response to a question on Microsoft's Answers Web site confirmed the details earlier this month:

One of the improvements Microsoft is making to Activation … Read more

Microsoft reveals early mockups of Windows 8 UI from 2010

Windows 8 mockups from two years ago show more or less the same interface found in the OS today.

The mockups from 2010 were revealed in a keynote demonstration given by Jensen Harris, a director of program management for Microsoft's Windows User Experience Team. Dubbed "The Story of Windows 8," the demo was given during a UX Week conference held by design firm Adaptive Path.

As displayed by blog site iStartedSomething.com, images of the mockups show that Microsoft certainly tweaked some of the look and feel of Windows 8. But the overall design of the OS … Read more

HP PC chief: Surface is 'kludgey,' not really competition

Hewlett-Packard isn't overly impressed with Microsoft's Surface tablet.

Speaking in an interview published yesterday with IDG Enterprise, HP PC business chief Todd Bradley said that his company could "hardly call Surface competition," adding that the Microsoft-branded tablet is quite flawed.

"One, very limited distribution," Bradley said, listing what he feels are the Surface's greatest flaws. "It tends to be slow and a little kludgey as you use it....It's expensive. Holistically, the press has made a bigger deal out of Surface than what the world has chosen to believe."

Microsoft … Read more

Ballmer decided Windows chief Sinofsky was too divisive

Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer decided he had had enough of Windows Division President Steven Sinofsky.

Sinofsky had developed a stellar reputation for shipping quality products on time. And he streamlined the management structure in the gigantic Windows division so that it hummed and produced the latest version of the company's flagship product on a tight deadline to solid, if not spectacular, reviews.

But a day after Sinofsky's sudden departure from Microsoft, it's also clear that Ballmer recognized that the Windows leader was too divisive of a figure to continue on at the software giant, where … Read more

Microsoft, Apple, and the demise of the take-no-prisoners exec

Microsoft's Steven Sinofsky and Apple's Scott Forstall may forever be associated with one another in business school case studies on what happens to effective product leaders who can't play nice with the other kids.

Sinofsky, who ran the Windows division with the single-mindedness of General Patton racing through the French countryside, last night abruptly announced that he was leaving Microsoft. It's too soon to say whether the company's recent Windows 8 launch is a success or disappointment, but as our Jay Greene wrote last night, you shouldn't be terribly surprised. Sinofsky battled with other … Read more

If Windows 8 baffles you, here's some free training

People new to Windows 8 can get a helping hand via a special course from the online training site Lynda.com.

Dubbed Windows 8 Essential Training, the four-hour course is available for free to the public until November 23.

The online course covers a variety of topics, including how to upgrade to Windows 8, how to organize your files and folders, how to print, how to use the Mail app, how to back up your files with File History, and how to use Internet Explorer 10.

People can sign up for the course by "liking" its Facebook page. … Read more