Replies to post #116735 on Intel Corp (INTC)

[wbmw]

It's also not clear to me at all that Win8-based tablets are gaining any mindshare. It's all about iPad, or to a lesser extent Android tablets on the lower end of the pricing scale.

It's not like there aren't some nice Windows 8 tablets out there - it's that no one is talking about them. I bought 3 of them for family members, and they were all huge success stories. It has completely transformed the way these people use their PCs.

As an example, I got a 10.1" Acer W510 for my mother, and she was the type of person who never used the desktop PC she had at home, other than to check email periodically (every few days). Now, she's on the tablet, non-stop. Probably clocks several hours each day. Same phenomenon happened to my sister and my aunt. Their PC usage shot up dramatically, and they absolutely love these devices.

Seems like the real problem on a global scale is that people aren't ready to give Win8 a chance. Maybe it's because there's been a lot of bad press, or because people are myopically tied to the Android/iOS experience that is coming up from the phone space. My experience is that anyone who has tried Win8 and stuck with it for more than a few days (to get past the learning curve), finds that they love it.

I guess Microsoft needs to simplify the experience and remove the learning curve, or do more to advertise with Intel, since both of them desperately want the PC experience to be a major selling point. But either way, it's not coming through.

I think Intel should be looking at Android as a backup if Win8 fails to succeed, but I wouldn't count out Microsoft, either. They have deep pockets, and they are going to regroup and try again - either with a Win8 patch, or Windows Blue, or new ad campaign, or whatever. But they won't give up and let sales languish.

[Saturn V]

Your Quote: "It's also not clear to me at all that Win8-based tablets are gaining any mindshare. It's all about iPad, or to a lesser extent Android tablets on the lower end of the pricing scale. "

I share your unease. The only positive sign is the reaction to Surface Pro which was sold out the first day. Unfortunately consumers do take to a new brand or device overnight. Pentium brand did not sell for almost a year. The iPad's first year sales were sluggish, and Android tablets did not sell at all for almost a year. It will take a large amount of advertising to establish the new tablets.Taiwanese brands have better products than Microsoft tablets, but are not engaging in any sales promotion activities.

But what is most discouraging about Windows 8 is the fact that it has alienated its existing Windows 7 user base. I hate Windows 8 in its present incarnation. Hopefully Windows Blue will rectify some of its problems. I rather use my Windows 7 clunker or my iMac rather than my brand new Windows 8. Windows 8 is now in a "no mans" land. It does not have consumer mind share for tablets as yet, and it has walked away from its traditional client user base.