Microsoft newest operating system has often been criticized for failing to boost the faltering PC market. And this is quite ironic when you consider the various other reasons for the collapse of the PC hardware industry that are so conveniently overlooked.
But one area where Windows 8 has contributed somewhat negatively is the customer satisfaction for the Redmond based software titan.
A new report over at Examiner shows that the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) for Microsoft declined to 74 after the launch of Windows 8, even though many expected the company to actually improve its score.
According to David VanAmburg, the director of ACSI:
“It seems clear that the release of Windows 8 did not give Microsoft a significant bump, as the release of Windows 7 did, nor did it dramatically lower customer satisfaction in a rather short time frame, as the release of Vista did.”
Another interesting bit that David shared his views on was the overall shrinking market for traditional desktop software. And yes, it’s shrinking, as you may have guessed:
“One of the issues with PC software appears to be that there is less of it out there now. While productivity software remains in demand — Office, TurboTax, Acrobat — with so many households that own PCs relying more and more on their tablets, smartphones and gaming systems for entertainment and recreation, the range of PC software may be shrinking, not a welcome sign for diehards still very loyal to the traditional PC.”
All eyes are now on the upcoming Windows 8.1 upgrade that is scheduled for release later this year.
The PC industry as a whole has been keeping a close eye on what this impending refresh of the Windows platform can do for the overall state of affairs. Microsoft has guaranteed this much that it will focus a fair bit on customer feedback this time around.
