Windows 8 in 2012 Too Soon for Consumers: Report

A report this week from industry analyst Gartner suggests Microsoft may face resistance to Windows 8 if the operating system is released in 2012, as planned. Given how many people have desperately clung to the decade-old Windows XP, it's no surprise.

Gartner: Consumers Have Their Limits

According to Gartner researcher Michael Silver, the public's issue with Windows 8 probably won't have much to do with the operating system (OS) itself, but merely exhaustion with being told over and over to upgrade -- in 2006 to Vista, in 2009 to Windows 7, and again, it's expected, in 2012 to some other version of Windows, one that may be called Windows 8.

In fact, it's likely those home and business users who've recently adopted Windows 7 will wait for 'Windows 9' in 4-6 years' time. "[Consumers] would certainly like to upgrade only to every other edition," Silver said. "If Windows 8 comes out in two years, I think that's likely to happen, that many [enterprises] will be very suspect about migrating to the next release." (Source: computerworld.com)

Gartner's comment on this issue was sparked by a recent announcement on a Dutch Microsoft site that appeared to firm up 2012 as a likely release date for Windows 8. The blog, which made its way into the American media via Neowin.net, reportedly announced: "Microsoft is on course for the next version of Windows. But it will take about two years before 'Windows 8' [is] on the market."

It's not likely anyone at Microsoft approved of that message and no one should expect any further details about Windows 8 to emerge in the coming weeks, according to Michael Cherry of Directions on Microsoft. Why? Because it won't help generate sales of Windows 7, Microsoft's current top priority.

"If Microsoft starts talking up Windows 8 now, it risks slowing momentum for Windows 7," Cherry said.

Plans Unveiled for Microsoft Online Game Store

In what may be a veiled attempt to bring attention back to Windows 7, Microsoft has lately been discussing upcoming plans for a Windows 7-based online store for PC games.

After Windows Vista was billed as an improved platform for PC gaming, gamers have been mostly ignored by Microsoft in its attempt to push Windows 7. This latest move may change that, as the company looks for new reasons to encourage gamers to buy Win7 PCs. (Source: msnbc.com)

Already rumors about cross-platform Xbox 360-PC gaming are being heard, and while those remain just whispers it may be enough to revive interest in a flagging video game sector whose growth has been cramped by the rising popularity of gaming consoles.