Windows 8 has no shortage of critics and the latest utterance of disappointment with Microsoft’s new touch focused operating system comes from a Samsung Electronics executive who panned the OS recently and blamed it for stalling the PC market’s rebound.
Comparison to Microsoft’s much maligned older OS may seem harsh but analyst firms have similarly named Windows 8 as one of the factors that have slowed down PC sales last year.
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For instance, in a report released this week, analyst firm International Data Corp. said that the “underwhelming “ reception to the latest Windows version along with the popularity of tablet devices and economic hardships took the wind out of PC sales last and contribute to poor numbers into 2013
“With limited initial traction for Windows 8 in the holiday season and continued pressure from Tablets, we now expect 2013 PC shipments to decline 1.3 per cent in 2013,” IDC said.
IDC said the PC industry had banked on Windows 8 and less expensive ultrathin notebooks to boost PC sales. However a lack of touch screen components led to a lack of Windows 8 computers.
Tami Reller, CFO and chief marketing officer of Microsoft Windows division had earlier pointed to this shortage as the reason behind Windows 8’s sluggish adoption.
“Frankly the supply (of touch-enabled PCs) was too short.” He said. “I mean, there was more demand than there was supply in the types of devices our customers had the most demand for.”
Jun expressed very little hope ultrabooks as well.
“The MS’s rollout of its Windows Surface tablet is seeing lackluster demand,” he said. “Meanwhile previous vigorous pitches by Intel and MS for thinner ultrabooks simply failed and I believe that’s mostly because of the less competitive Windows platform.”
In light of these developments, the Samsung executive said his company is cutting its production of conventional memory chips and manufacture more mobile chips instead.