Brett Nordquist, Puget Systems' sales manager, said that their findings indicate the actual mood of PC users, because unlike most of other stores, they do not pull out the old Windows Preinstallation on their computers when they are new, as they do not sell "brand name "PCs. They also have no obligations to any vendors. The customers choose both their hardware and operating system that they want to be placed on their new computer.

Therefore, according to Nordquist, these figures can be considered as the actual response of users to the new OS. Nordquist said that “Windows 8 arrives to a PC market of mostly satisfied Windows 7 customers. The conditions under which Windows 7 arrived differed as many Windows XP users had held off moving to Windows Vista due to lackluster reviews and various hardware compatibility issues”

Nordquist said that an additional reason for the poor debut of Windows 8 lies in the Modern UI interface, especially in the absence of the Start menu in which users are accustomed to. “The removal of the START menu is a deal breaker for many. Some have taken a “wait for Service Pack 1” approach while others plan to stick with Windows 7 even when purchasing a new PC” says Nordquist. Even though Windows 8 shuts down and boots faster than Windows 7, they still perform pretty similar, so we have to wait a bit more to see the true results, but looks like this could continue to be the trend.

[Ed – Although Microsoft has not released any information on the number of Windows 7 installations using a Windows 8 Key (also known as a downgrade install), there is some information coming out from retailers that while new systems are selling well, many customers are already asking about the ability to install Windows 7 in place of Windows 8. I have had more than a few people ask me how to turn off the UEFI security to allow a Windows 7 installation (in most cases t is off) on brand new hardware. This is the same situation that Windows Vista was in when it launched (although Windows 8 is doing much better than Vista right now). In fact during both the Windows Vista and Windows 7 launches, Microsoft held out on releasing downgrade numbers until they absolutely had to give them up… So far Microsoft is following that pattern and is only releasing the number of Windows 8 licenses sold… ]

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