No doubt that you have read or heard an opinion or two (or twelve) about Microsoft’s latest operating system. From even before Windows 8 was finally released, we were seeing a lot of grumblings from rather vocal individuals about a train wreck in the making.
To be sure, Windows 8 was a significant departure from all previous Windows iterations, abandoning the “Start” menu was a huge gamble. Microsoft is all-in with the new user experience though.
The blogosphere was filling up with comparisons of Windows 8 to that horrific spawn referred to as Windows Vista. As many of us had used Windows 8 and Windows RT, as well as upgraded several older machines to the new OS, we really cannot make such a leap.
Judging by general ratings accumulated on Amazon, it would seem most other people do not make that leap either. To be sure, Windows 8 is not as well liked as Windows 7, but it has not attracted the loathing that Windows Vista went out of its way to earn.
Indeed, Windows 8 has a lot going for it, but the image problem it faces is a significant challenge to the next update, whether it is called Windows Blue, Window 9 or something else. Ed Bott at ZDNet drew a comparison to when Windows XP originally came out. It took a little while for XP to build some steam.
While this observation of ratings on Amazon is not a blind-scientific survey, there are some interesting revelations to be made from it. For one thing, in just the first few months of its release, Windows 8 has gathered more overall reviews than Windows 7 has over the past three-plus years. Love it or hate it, the evolution of Windows is of great interest to just about anyone that has ever used a PC, or more recently, a tablet.
Based on what we saw coming during the run-up to release Windows 8, these mixed customer ratings are not much of a surprise since most folks are resistant to change. However, if you have been looking around at reviews of Windows 8 and felt inundated with negative impressions, look deeper.
Maxwell Ramsey has made significant contributions to PhoneArena through his detailed reporting on technology policy and advancements, such as wireless charging standards and FCC regulations, helping demystify complex topics for a broad readership.
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