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For all the Hype and Media spends “ Microsoft’s Windows 8 Failed to impress.Since the  introduction of Windows 8 in October 2012, Microsoft’s latest operating system has failed to keep up with its predecessors. In December 2013, the combined market share of Windows 8 and 8.1 reached  10% share of the market in 15 months after the operating system was released.  Meanwhile Windows 7 had a much better run than the windows 8 version . where the , Windows 7 OS reached the same level at 10% after a mere six months. So what was different in windows 7 , Window 8 was touted a much advanced and friendly in terms of UI and user interaction ?

while one can argue that ” during the initial period of its product cycle , due to early adopters ..the chart may show an upward growth…but with Android and Apple  releasing updates at a much  faster rate ,coupled with he initial reviews and Android’s word of mouth  was far beyond what Microsoft could handle 

Windows 8.1 preview available to download | ExtremeTech: “At the Build conference in San Francisco, Microsoft has unveiled Windows 8.1. The Windows 8.1 preview is available to download and install right away (link at the end of the story), and it will be a free upgrade for Windows 8 users when the final build is released in the fall. The overarching goal with Windows 8.1 is to make the operating system more usable on tablets, but also to improve the quality of life for mouse-and-keyboard users.”

Perhaps most importantly, though, the Windows Store has been overhauled. App discovery and individual app listings are severely improved. Built-in apps such as Internet Explorer (now up to version 11), Photos, Mail, and Xbox Music are all much improved, too. CEO Steve Ballmer also mentioned on stage in San Francisco that Facebook has finally committed to building a Windows 8.1 Metro app.

Stay tuned for lots of hands-on Windows 8.1 coverage over the next few days.

Download the Windows 8.1 preview now. You will have to download a patch, reboot, and then the Windows 8.1 update will be available from the Windows Store.

 PC sales will come back to normal post the launch of Windows 8 in October,2012 and will l be directly responsible for boosting the flat U.S. PC market into a period of moderate growth next year. This was according to the latest IDC  research study in August,2012

  IDC projected forecast is  attributing 5 percentage points of U.S. PC market unit growth to Windows 8. 2013 will see worldwide PC sales rebounding  and expected to  jump from 0.9% this year to 6.5%, with growth accelerating to 7.0% and 7.5% in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Much of that demand will come from emerging markets, whose residents are still buying their first PCs, as well as purchasing Windows 8 replacements for those they already own.

|Meanwhile that PC sales have started slowing down, due to Tablets and Smartphones was evident with   IDC  forecasting  367 million PCs will ship into the market in 2012, up less than 1% from 2011 and marking the second consecutive year of growth below 2%,
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Acer is meanwhile  considering alternatives. “If Microsoft… is going to do hardware business, what should we do?” he asked. “Should we still rely on Microsoft, or should we find other alternatives?” 

Windows 8 Launches October 26 – Datamation: “After months of pre-release versions, and days after debuting Office 2013, Microsoft has unveiled the official release date for Windows 8.

During Microsoft’s annual sales meeting, Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live divisions, announced that the final release to manufacture (RTM) version of Windows 8 will go on sale on Friday, October 26th. On that date, the general public will be able to put the touch-friendly OS through its paces in “upgrade fashion or on a new PC,” according to Microsoft Communications Manager Brandon LeBlanc.”

One of the biggest differences between Windows 8 and its predecessors is the new Metro user interface. Dominated by touch-enabled, self-updating tiles, Metro harkens to the company’s UI work that guided Zune, Windows Phone 7 and the latest iteration of Xbox 360 dashboard.

With Windows 8, Microsoft is hoping that Metro and its new app ecosystem will help the software company establish a foothold in the hot tablet market.

In another bold move, Microsoft revealed that the company is taking an Apple-like approach to pricing Windows 8. Earlier this month, the software giant announced that Windows customers (Windows XP, Vista and 7) can upgrade to Windows 8 Pro online for just $39.99.

For comparison’s sake, a sift7 Home Ultimate upgrade from XP and Vista costs $120 at Microsoft’s online store. The retail DVD version of the Windows 8 upgrade will sell for $79.99.

Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 operating system is poised to give Apple’s iPad and Android-powered tablets some tough competition according to social chatter following Microsoft’s public unveiling of the OS earlier this month. Social media listening firm Mashwork analyzed Twitter conversations between June 15th and September 22nd of this year, and found that opinions of Microsoft’s next-generation operating system are overwhelmingly positive at this early stage. Read on for more. 

The majority of the 65,968 tweets Mashwork analyzed were posted during the period in time surrounding Microsoft’s recent BUILD conference, of course, and the firm says the bulk of Windows 8 chatter comes from developers, tech savvy individuals and early adopters. About 15% of the tweets analyzed were comprised of people sharing their initial reactions of the OS, and the sentiment was positive; 47% of people were excited about Windows 8 while 20% were skeptical.

17,811 of the Windows 8-related tweets compared Microsoft’s upcoming platform to iOS on the iPad or to Android, and the chatter was overwhelmingly in favor of Windows 8. 63% of tweets comparing Windows 8 to iOS found Microsoft’s OS more compelling, and almost all conversation comparing Windows 8 to Android leaned toward the forme