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Study says half as many companies plan to adopt Windows 8 compared to Windows 7

Study says half as many companies plan to adopt Windows 8 compared to Windows 7

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Windows 8 RTM
Windows 8 RTM

If you thought changes to the Windows formula introduced in Windows 8 like the loss of the start button and the addition of the previously-known-as Metro interface were difficult for consumers to get a grasp on, keep in mind how much more challenging it is for businesses to get on board with the alterations. According to a Wall Street Journal report based on findings from Forrester Research, only 33 percent of companies plan or expect to transition to Windows 8 at some point, with 10 percent planning to skip it and 47 percent saying they haven't yet considered the new OS. Compared to the same questions asked at the same time before Windows 7's launch in 2009, 66 percent expected to transition, while only 27 percent hadn't looked yet and 1 percent planned to skip.

There's no doubt that there is quite a large gulf between the two from the research results, but there is one major factor that's weighing into those results: Windows Vista. Many businesses opted to pass on Vista, leaving them primed to upgrade to Windows 7 when it was released. It's not surprising that companies that have just upgraded to Windows 7 at high cost might be considering skipping Windows 8, especially when there are fears of steep learning curves for employees.