Windows 8

We’ve long said that it’s unfair to slap Windows 8 with the dreaded Vista comparison and now we have some data to back it up. ZDNet’s Ed Bott this week took a look at Amazon (AMZN) customer ratings for several versions of Microsoft’s (MSFT) operating system and found that while Windows 8 has its share of haters, it also has even more people who enthusiastically support the platform. Overall, 50% of Windows 8 users gave the platform four or five-star reviews while 40% gave it a one or two-star rating. This contrasts very favorably with Vista, which received one and two-star ratings from 50% of users while receiving four and five-star ratings from just 37% of users. The ratings also show that dislike of Vista was remarkably intense, with 42% of users giving it a one-star rating that Bott describes as a “middle finger” to the platform. More →

Microsoft (MSFT) is willing to pay app developers $100 for every Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 app they develop, but the company insists that payouts aren’t its main strategy for improving its app ecosystem. A Microsoft spokesperson told AllThingsD that the company believes “the best apps come from those partners who are invested in the platform and own their experience now and in the future” and that its limited-time $100 offer “is not representative of an ongoing program.” Microsoft has put a lot of effort into attracting developers to both Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 as it tries to generate developer enthusiasm for its platforms that matches the level of enthusiasm for iOS and Android. A recent study by PCMag showed that Windows Phone 8 now offers 63% of the 102 most popular apps available for iOS and Android.

Microsoft’s (MSFT) attempts to merge desktop and tablet functionalities with Windows 8 have left it with an “awkward” operating system that consumers have been slow to adopt, says Nomura Equity Research analyst Rick Sherlund. Per Barron’s, Sherlund released a new research note this week saying that it will take much more time for Microsoft to fully develop Windows 8 to the point where it can “deliver more compelling form factors and lower prices and a richer ecosystem of developers and apps for the Microsoft store.” More →

Windows 8 has taken its share of lumps over the past few months, but one analyst thinks its troubles all began with Microsoft’s (MSFT) decision to omit the Start button from its user interface. In an interview with CNET, IDC analyst Bob O’Donnell says that not having a Start button is a big turnoff to many users who have spent years working with Windows and who have come to expect it as a central feature of any Windows device. More →