Bill Gates has been quoted as saying that Apple might have to make something like Surface very soon along with a few other items intended to bolster the direction Steve Ballmer has taken Microsoft in. One of my favorites is a comment from Gates claiming that he feels Microsoft needed to make Surface to show the difference between a tablet and a PC…

“I actually believe you can have the best of both worlds. You can have a rich ecosystem of manufacturers and you can have a few signature devices that show off, you know, wow, what’s the difference between a tablet and a PC”

I do not know about you, but that does not sound right. Still there is no doubt that Microsoft is pushing hard on the market right now. What we cannot really figure out is why they are pushing with an OS that is not getting that good of a response from consumers. Sure there are countless sites that are shouting its virtues from the rooftops, but on the whole most people that we have shown Windows 8 to are very confused by it and how to get anything done.

We do completely agree with the integration of devices with Microsoft’s Smart Glass and think that the core of Windows 8 and Windows RT have amazing potential, what we do not see if people wanting to do their work in a different manner than what they are used to on a PC. As one person commented to me recently; “If I wanted to learn a new way of working, I would just get a Mac”. That in a nutshell is what is facing Microsoft. People will view Metro on Windows 8 (when on a desktop) as foreign and will not want to make the change. We have a very odd feeling that Apple and Linux will enjoy an increase in market share right around November-December. This is a shame though as Windows 8 has all the ingredients to be a game changing OS… We just wish that Microsoft would get that “game changing” does not have to include a massive UI and workflow change…

Discuss this in our Forum