We are nearing the preview version of Windows 8.1, and it is during this time that analysts and market watchers step in with their thoughts on how they feel a particular technology product could perform.
Windows, as important as it is for the technology world, is rightly the topic of intense discussion.
Some people believe that the upcoming OS will not be able to do much to help the collapsing PC industry, but Gartner seems to think that its features could actually quiet its distractors as they are designed to make the operating system more familiar.
Michael Silver and Steve Kleynhans, vice presidents of Gartner’s client computing team wrote in a brand new report that the release of Windows 8.1 could represent the right moment for everyone to make the jump to the new platform.
The reasoning is that the operating system packs a whole bunch of improvements that are designed to address end users complaints in Windows 8:
“After Microsoft unveiled Windows 8, the newly introduced user experience was criticized. Some users complained about the lack of discoverability, help or cues for the new user experience, and many rejected Windows 8 because of the changes. Based on the information currently available, we believe Windows 8.1 features could quiet most of its detractors.”
Nevertheless, the market research firm recommends organizations and businesses that are planning to deploy Windows 8.1 to first test compatibility of their applications before making the move:
“More compatibility issues will likely arise from moving from IE 8 to IE 11 than with Win32 applications that run on Windows 7, but organizations will need to allocate time to test critical applications and understand vendor support policies. In the future, Windows will likely include more updates like 8.1, perhaps on an annual basis.”
It has been long speculated that Windows 8.1 could be the first of many yearly updates to the Windows 8 platform. We should have a complete idea of everything it will bring on June 26, when Microsoft debuts the Windows 8.1 Preview at the BUILD developer conference.
