Enterprise interest in Windows 8 half that for Windows 7 in '09

Computerworld - Enterprise IT decision makers are about half as enthusiastic about the new Windows 8 as they were three years ago about the then-just-released Windows 7, an analyst said today.

Employees, however, have a higher-than-expected interest in the revamped operating system when it powers a tablet, second only to Apple's iOS, which runs the iPad.

According to David Johnson of Forrester Research, 24% of the more than 1,200 North American and European IT hardware purchasers the firm interviewed in the third quarter said that while they had no plans in place to migrate to Windows 8, they expect to at some point.

The result was half that of the 49% of similar professionals Forrester surveyed in 2009 just before the launch of Windows 7.

Other answers to poll questions in 2009 and 2012 hammered home the trend: 4% this year said that they plan to migrate in the next 12 months, while 5% confirmed they had plans but wouldn't begin in the next year, compared to 7% and 10% who said the same three years ago.

The results shouldn't be surprising: For months, analysts have been predicting a shrug as the enterprise reaction to Windows 8. And Computerworld has found that usage of the new OS seriously lags behind the pre-launch statistics for Windows 7.

Nor are the reasons Johnson cited a shock.

"Most companies are still in the midst of their Windows 7 migrations, or have only finished them," Johnson said in a Friday interview. "They don't have the time or the money for another Windows migration."

In a Friday blog post, Johnson elaborated, ticking off seven reasons why enterprise adoption of Windows 8 is at risk. They included the migration fatigue he spoke of, as well as limited appeal of the apps in the Windows Store, confusion among users and IT professionals about the differences between Windows 8 and Windows RT, and the vastly-different user interface (UI) sported by both operating systems.

"IT professionals are not quite sure how their users will accept the UI," said Johnson today, noting the likely increases in training and support costs for firms that move to the new -- and even to long-time Windows users -- unfamiliar UI.

"The loss of familiar attributes like the Start button for navigation, or the potential for confusion between apps running on the legacy Windows desktop and those running in the new Windows 8 interface, will cause disorientation and frustration," Johnson predicted, echoing reviews and widespread consumer comments.