Windows 8 has taken potshots from MIT professors and drunk people alike, but at least one Microsoft (MSFT) OEM thinks such criticism is largely overblown. In an interview with Digitimes, Acer (2353) president Jim Wong said that Windows 8 is actually a very good operating system that consumers will adapt to it given enough time.
“Windows 8 is a major milestone for 2012, but it is also a new system that consumers must learn and the learning process will prevent the operating system from taking off quickly,” Wong told Digitimes. “However, many of the concerns and criticisms concerning Windows 8 have been rather unfair.”
In particular, Wong praised Microsoft for taking risks and being boldly innovative with its new operating system, which he said smartly integrates touchscreen capabilities with traditional PC functionality. Wong also pointed to Acer internal research showing “that a consumer, after controlling a touchscreen product for more than 20 minutes, would want to use his or her fingers to touch any display he or she sees.”
All of this leads Wong to believe that “touchscreen control is an irreversible trend” that “will be a strong selling point” despite needing “more time to take off.”
