Bad news for Windows devices...

Bad news for Windows devices: Sales barely make a scratch in the market

Microsoft ( Windows to some of you) is one of the most well known brands of software in the entire world. There is hardly anyone in any relatively developed country that  is unable to recognize the brand name and what it entails. In fact, even the third world countries whose populace is looking for their first computers all turn their attention to Microsoft and Windows-run devices.

Microsoft and Windows’ Legacy

And why shouldn’t they? For many years, Microsoft has made a name for itself—the brand is already synonymous with quality and excellent performance. It’s become the most common brand name in OS as well; for the past decade, the majority of computers feature Windows OS computers—with the occasional Apple device now and again. In fact, media still makes references to Windows in various films and shows. Through Windows, everyone can create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, on top of being able to install applications for VoIP, digital design, and a lot of other things. Windows OS and Microsoft make work possible.
But if there is something Windows cannot do, then it seems to be breaking into the tablet market.

The Fall of Windows 8 tablets

Microsoft recently released its first entry into the rapidly growing tablet market: Microsoft Surface. At first, there was quite a bit of hype involving this new tablet. Surely, anything Microsoft produced would be a heavy-hitting competitor in a market dominated by Apple’s iPad. And from the initial release conference, there seemed to be absolutely nothing anyone wouldn’t want out of it.
But when the actual tablets were released, there were obvious problems that caused very low market sales:
-          The Surface tablets ran on Windows OS, and while there initially seemed nothing wrong about it, it didn’t function like the iOS or Android tablet OSes that the consumer base was already used to. Plus, the initial released version ran on the limited Windows 8 RT. Windows 8 was not well known to the public yet, and it made great changes in the existing OS environment that long-time Windows users are accustomed to. With the limitations RT already had, it turned a lot of would-be users off. There’s just too much difficulty in terms of successfully navigating the OS.
-          The Apps Store: Apple has their iTunes store and Android has Google Play; so the Microsoft Surface also developed Microsoft-friendly apps. However, the app store for the Surface was laughably limited compared to the extensive list of apps in Google Play for Android  and endless offers of the Apple iTunes store. Microsoft’s own app store was lacking, was almost always offline, and made it very difficult for anyone to download anything.

The numbers

According to the statistics found on the US tablet sales market last month, the demand for Windows’ devices plunged by 21%. Demand Windows powered notebooks are also down, and the same goes for the desktop devices. It’s a worrying trend. Microsoft’s hold may in fact be slipping.It’s as though the Surface heralded the fall.