“Microsoft blames PC makers for underwhelming Windows 8 sales over Christmas, The Register has learned,” Gavin Clarke reports for The Register. “The software giant accused manufacturers of not building enough attractive Win 8-powered touchscreen tablets.”
“But the computer makers are fighting back: they claimed that if they’d followed Microsoft’s hardware requirements and ramped up production, they’d have ended up building a lot of high-end expensive slabs that consumers didn’t understand nor want,” Clarke reports. “Gartner said last week that during Q4 2012 Windows 8 didn’t make a “significant impact” on PC shipments and other analysts said sales of Windows 8 are lagging Windows 7.”
Clarke reports, “Our well-placed source said that bad sales combined with PC makers “ignoring” Microsoft’s advice has left Redmond executives fuming. ‘Microsoft is very frustrated with major OEMs who didn’t build nearly enough touch systems and are now struggling to find parts and ramp up. Microsoft says they provided very specific guidance on what to build,’ our insider said.”
MacDailyNews Take: You know, because Microsoft is so good at building hardware/knowing what to build: $1+ billion Red Ring of Death charges, Big Ass Table, Zune, Kin, Surface tablet, etc.
Clarke reports, “The PC makers also blame Microsoft for sowing confusion with its Surface tablet. Among the manufacturers, it is perceived that the Microsoft-branded slab failed to educate users about the new touch user interface and distracted the software giant – leading to its failure to put adequate marketing muscle behind the launch of ordinary Windows 8 PCs.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Windows 8ista.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Tayster” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Fujitsu President: Weak demand for Microsoft’s Windows 8 killing PC Sales – December 28, 2012
Philip Greenspun: Microsoft’s Windows 8 is a Christmas gift for someone you hate – December 7, 2012
MKM Partners cuts Microsoft price target, estimates on lower than expected Surface, Windows 8 sales – December 5, 2012
Why Microsoft’s Surface tablet is doomed – December 5, 2012
App developers shun Microsoft’s Surface tablet – December 4, 2012
Microsoft Surface Pro to offer only half the battery life of Apple’s latest iPad with Retina display – November 30, 2012
Microsoft’s Surface Pro iPad killer to start at $899 – November 29, 2012
Microsoft’s Surface tablet flops, orders reportedly cut in half – November 29, 2012
TechCrunch’s Siegler reviews Microsoft Surface RT: ‘It’s time for a drop test – right into the garbage can’ – November 19, 2012
Slate reviews Microsoft’s Surface tablet: Too slow, mercilessly buggy; why is it so bad? – November 6, 2012
InfoWorld reviews Microsoft Surface RT: A disappointment; you’re better off with Apple’s iPad – October 31, 2012
Gizmodo reviews Microsoft Surface RT: Do not buy; inferior to Apple’s iPad; the worst of both worlds – October 25, 2012
The Verge reviews Microsoft Surface RT tablet: ‘The whole thing is honestly perplexing; who is this for?’ – October 24, 2012
ZDNet’s Kingsley-Hughes: Microsoft’s Windows 8 is an awful, horrible, painful design disaster – June 8, 2012
Analyst meets with big computer maker, finds ‘general lack of enthusiasm’ for Windows 8 – June 8, 2012
Dvorak: Windows 8 an unmitigated disaster; unusable and annoying; it makes your teeth itch – June 3, 2012
The Guardian: Microsoft’s Windows 8 is confusing as hell; an appalling user experience – March 5, 2012
More good news for Apple: Microsoft previews Windows 8 (with video) – June 1, 2011
I wonder if Microsoft is making a case for getting into the PC manufacturing business.
Buy Dell and bankrupt everyone else.
This argument is likely the same thing that was carried out on the bridge of the Titanic as she slipped into the icy waters of the Atlantic…..
“No, it’s your fault!”
“No, it’s your fault!”
“No, it’s your fault!”
……….
Reboot.
Reboot.
Reboot.
Everything will be fine when the patch is finished installing!
Does that make Steve Ballmer the Captain and will he go down with this sinking ship that is MS. Maybe he will do as the Italian Captain Francesco Schettino and cowardly be the first to abandon ship.
Lol. Yeah but with Microsoft, it’s one bald guy and a mirror!
Lol
I always get a little squeemish on the Nature Channel when the animals kill and eat their young.
They thought people wanted the post-pc OS on their desktop, they were wrong. It’s nice to break away from the PC when you can, but there are still a lot of things that HAVE to be done on Windows (7 or earlier).
It’s more than that. They also thought people wanted the desktop on their Post-PC device.
Basically, MS still doesn’t understand what Apple has been working on for 10 years. As usual, MS thinks it can cut corners. As usual, MS thinks people will flock to something that says “Windows” on the box. As usual, they just don’t get it.
They really thought they had put one over on Apple by somehow combining two OS’s into one. As though Apple was trying to get there but couldn’t, and MS was going to show them how to do it. Yay, “Windows everywhere!”
Instead, they have shown how little they know about it all. Apple has a desktop and a mobile OS. MS has a one-size fits all. The irony is that OS X and iOS are twins under the hood, while Windows and Metro are two misfits cobbled together, each of which does half the job and jerks the user around.
The other irony is that MS can’t put Windows everywhere: they are just getting into ARM now, and Metro has no depth — it’s like a cosmetic face lift to Zune or WinPhone. Windows itself isn’t on ARM, you need the Surface Pro which will run on Intel.
In contrast, Apple has made OS X (via NextStep) truly processor/platform agnostic over the last decade. They have had it on PowerPC, Intel, ARM, etc. Apple is years ahead of MS in this regard. And this is because Apple is actually an engineering company, while MS is a Software vendor that relies on getting true inspiration from other sources, whether it was DOS, Danger, Mac OS, or what. I guess blood will out.
So…
Microsoft says it’s a supply problem.
The OEMs say it’s a demand problem.
Got it.
Just like when your Dell PC doesn’t work and you call for customer service:
Dell: “It’s a software problem. Call Microsoft.”
Microsoft: “It’s a hardware problem. Call Dell.”
Rinse: Repeat….
…and ironically this scenario will continue after M$ purchases Dell! Now, rinse and repeat with Indian accent 😉
Classy! Blame your customers because your product sucks.
The pervasion of sense and relevance by arrogance.
This is a satire piece from The Onion right?
You really, I mean, REALLY have to be crazy to say the thigs microsoft says.
First, they are wasting billions in putting the Mac as a bad and expensive computer when the Mac is the best computer to run windows.
Second, blaming pc builder when microsoft it self is building the crappy surface tablet or what ever (with help of some one, but it is microsoft branded).
So what crap is inside microsoft to speak so much stupidity?
Troy, son of Tarzan, you really need to get out of the jungle and learn better, more coherent English kemo sabe.
Thank you Lone Rider 🙂
It’s Lone Ranger. 😜
Troy needs to spend more time here in Redmond riding the hobby horse with Ballmer, learning English “Damn Apple.” “Damn iPad”, “Damn iPhone.”. “Damn OEMs.”
Can’t argue with that, but you gotta admit that Troy’s last line has a certain charm: “So what crap is inside microsoft to speak so much stupidity?” Downright Biblical — the King James version of tech commentary — or too many bong hits, or both.
Apple needs to strike (again) while the iron is hot.
Another series of “I’m a Mac” like commercials that compares Windoze Ate with OSXML. That is – IF Apple can ever get enough iMacs out the door.
Secretly, the iMAC is the Apple’s new iTV.
Once introduced with that new Name, those who really don’t know, the average consumer who isn’t interested i buying a computer… will buy a TV… this is how, Apple will sell a lot more iMacs – you just wait.
Nothing like a family bloodbath to set the tone for what’s to come.
If I was them, I’d blame Apple.
didn’t Microsoft make their own ‘surface’ hardware ?
Let me get this straight… MS makes their own hardware slapping their partners in the face and then turns around and accuses these same partners of not making ‘attractive enough’ hardware when their ill fated OS fails to generate any excitement?
WOW with a partner like MS who needs enemies ?
Windoze 8 sales suck because windoze 8 is a steaming pile of junk.
The os is slow, clunky, ugly as sin & the most unintuiative interface ever designed. It doesn’t fit on a phone, tablet or PC.
So it’s no wonder, no one in their right mind would want to buy anything running it!
Kinda like the NRA blaming video games for gun deaths.
So, I think what MS is saying is that the PC makers need to put better lipstick on a pig. Got it.
A new definition of insanity: MicroSoft
Then again they keep doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. They keep trying to sell junkware for big money and wonder why no one wants it.
MS blows wads and wads of money and not about to slow down. That 95% marketshare strangle hold approved by our own Government lets MS do stupid things all year long! lol I guess thats the only good thing about that.. haha
That 95% market share has been dropping for years. At this point is somewhere south of 90% and still dropping. Windows 8 did NOT help.
Microsoft blames blahblahblah
HAHAHAHA! 😆 Scapegoating. Predictable.
So what does MicroStupid see in the mirror? Crap Surface sales, your OWN fault! And therefore…
The Surface Pro. I can hardly wait.
Yessss….time to get that Popcorn out. It’s going to get really good soon.
I’m putting real butter on MY popcorn. And, I’m going to be drinking sparkling white wine. It’s not quite time for the champaign, but I can dream.
Gotta have real butter! And none of that Microwave dry shit popcorn that’s like salted Styrofoam. Make it on the stove!
Perhaps they should be making washing machines.
Microsoft should make vacuum cleaners.
They would be the only things Microsoft ever made that did NOT suck.
Yep, the old supply chain yarn. If there were enough pc’s with touch capabilities, Windows 8 would be flying off the shelves….hahahahhaha!
I still can’t help but think HP regrets casting WebOS aside. It wasn’t perfect but it was a start. Others should be looking at a Linux distro and beefing it up. There are some amazing open source apps that match the functionality of Windows apps. Some work would have to be done to make Linux “user friendly” for the masses, but if someone would put the money and time into it, some amazing things could happen. If Apple could OS X on top of FreeBSD then surely someone could take a Linux distro and do amazing things with it. “Where liberal arts and technology meet…” follow the Apple model people. There is life beyond Microsoft… and Microsoft may soon force you into that decision if they buy Dell.
Hey Microsoft… “What difference, at this point, does it make?” – Hillarious Clinton, former Secretary of State, current @#$%^*&…
Ahh, Redmond… What a strange, lonely ride this has been….
Even with Apple’s troubles and RECORD quarterly earnings just buy an iPad and roll on down the road…
All praise to Microsoft … just like the cavalry, riding in at the last moment and saving the day … well giving us a 5 minute diversion and plenty of derision, while Apple is “seemingly” under the pump.
Ah yes, blame everyone else for your incompetence…