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Windows 8 customer satisfaction ratings reach Vista levels

posted on May 28th 2013 at 3:31pm by Joe Fedewa

Win8Retail

In terms of sales alone Windows 8 hasn’t been doing that bad. It hasn’t been the bang up success that Windows 7 was, but then again it didn’t have the luxury of following such failure as Vista. It does have one thing in common with Vista: customer satisfaction.

According to this year’s American customer satisfaction index report, Windows 8 ratings have fallen to the lowest level since Vista. The customer satisfaction rating dropped to 74/100. Following Vista’s launch in 2007 the rating was at 73/100. The highest it has been was 78/100 in 2011. When 5 points separate the best and worst scores you’re in a pretty good situation.

The problem with Windows 8 is it’s just very different from what people are used to. It is only natural for there to be a growing period. People in the industry generally agree that Windows 8 is a step in the right direction for what the PC business is becoming. As more people learn and discover Windows 8 it will start doing better.

[via BGR]


  • Edgar Cervantes

    Aside from being different, it’s just a mess. I mean remember that problem you had with the second screen setup? Little things here and there have to be worked out.

  • ANTHONY

    Actually its not a mess…. Problems happen with all OS systems….Windows 8 is no different.. considering that Windows 8 has to adapt to all manufacturers devices and software and does that remarkably well, shows that it is a stable operating system (with kinks that will iron itself out with) .the issue is that people are so lazy in my opinion. They would rather complain that Windows8 is bad rather than take a few minutes to learn how to use the new features and move on ….instead people complain that its a step backward or its not as intuitive and Windows 7…I totally disagree..it is BETTER than windows 7, we dont need a start bar….just so people can have their hands held going into a new operating system… Just use it and stop being a victim to all the negative criticisms of Analysts and pundits that in my opinion just want Windows 8 to fail. Its an amazing operating system and works very well…with the updates coming it should be even more formidable and stable….I know I am a fanboy but seriously….Window 8 bashing has got to stop…its sending the wrong impression about a great operating system

  • Gardenol

    See I know how to run Windows 8 and have done as lot of work on them, but in my opinion it’s not as good in that it is not efficient as a tech. I’d rather wait half a second for Windows 7 to load something then taking the time for a person to click to go to desktop or something. Basically what I find is Windows 7 is more up front while 8 puts folders on folders to break things up. Yes a second longer to click something isn’t much, but after a day? a month? a year? It adds up. This from an efficiency stand point

  • wavelength

    If it were great, people wouldn’t be bashing it.

  • ANTHONY

    I am not sure i can agree there….i mean i understand its your experience so i cant say that you are wrong….but for me.its just as easy as clicking on the search charm typing a few letters to bring up the application or document that I was working on….If I really needed something faster…which is litterally maybe a second faster,I could go to the desktop and bring up an application here as well . I dont find that its inefficient…what I find is that people are not willing to learn how to be efficient using the new OS so rather than to say that it is a personal short coming, people would rather blame the OS. Everyone has their own opinion so mine is just opinion but i find it to be very stable and just as easy to use as windows 7. Its almost like a catch 22, MS gets blamed for its lack of innovation/features and then when they finally change the OS to be different and innovative and more…all of a sudden it becomes Non-intutitive or the OS is lacking….i don’t find that to be the case…( Believe me i am not lumping you in this group …just saying in general)
    What some people need to do is take a few days to use it and really work with it..find out what you can do, what you can’t. try to adapt to the new learning curve..which isnt that steep… stop listening to people’s poor assesment of Windows 8 and use it themselves… I think once people understand it…they will see that it is superior to windows 7… and a BIG step in the Right direction for MS… IMHO

  • ANTHONY

    Please!! Spare Me….People only bash it because thats what they hear from other people…not because they spent any significant time using the operating system..And its not everyone. From my experience, the people who have bashed it have barely spent any time using it at all, IF at all …MS is on Par with selling as many Win8 licenses upon the first few months as it did When Win 7 came out…so they must be doing something right….
    All in all it is a great OS…can it use some tweaking and better branding…sure… everything helps…but the OS is not the problem…its some people being lazy and not trying to use the operating system before saying that it sux… I have introduced Win8 to about 40 people…Half those 40 had never even touched Win 8 but yet said it sucked… how would they know??…>Once I got them to use it, it was like night and day….Even without a touch screen these 15 or so people now SWEAR by Win 8! All they needed was an open mind and a little education…Some people are going to hate Win 8 and thats fine…not everything is for everyone…I dont like MAC computers and its OS and thats fine….Still I can recognize that its OS is exceptional. Same goes for Windows….Win 8 is a really good OS…its just that simple.

  • Gardenol

    well people weren’t saying they needed to innovate their desktop experience, but they did need a tablet/phone OS, if they put tiles on their mobile devices it’s great, but people find windows 7 is easier even after learning, because everything is up front. People are lazy, they don’t want to have to scroll their mouse through the start menu, or type anything into search function, they just want to click their icon on the desktop. That’s not a refusal to learn, that’s a I don’t want extra work. Besides that they have only sold so many copies because it’s forced, you can’t buy windows 7 so if you buy any computer, it is a windows 8 sell. and I know from retail that most people buy the computer and then reinstall windows 7 onto it.

  • Anthony

    Sorry but being lazy isn’t a fault of MS nor should they take the approach that we have lazy users so we should just stick with less innovation because of that fact. It is most definitely a refusal to learn. No matter how want to say otherwise. Also Windows upgrades have always been ‘forced’ as you say. When a new operating system comes out, MS usually keeps its vendor’s from selling its former operating system so its no different than when Windows 7 was first released. And I also work in Retail having moved from Staples to Best Buy and you are again wrong, MOST people do not buy the computer and re-install windows 7, so please stop saying that. It is true that you have some people that do…but saying MOST people do this is erroneous. Microsoft had, at the beginning allowed people to go back to Window 7 when they purchased a laptop because of the outcry of people who were to LAZY to learn Windows 8 but I believe that program is over and now if you want to go back to Window 7, you have to purchase a copy of Windows 7 to install it, If you can find one which probably runs you an additional $199 to 299 based on the version of Win 7 you choose.
    I have not seen anyone do this in my experience working with customers. Most of them if not all of them understand when the purchase a new computer that they are getting Windows 8 (consumers are not stupid, Lazy maybe but not stupid)
    and after a little education on using win 8, I have NEVER had any customer come back and say they would prefer to return the laptop because they hated win8….On the contrary what I have found is that people have little annoyances about windows 8 but as soon as it is explained to them…they go away happy or satisfied. So I do not agree that MOST people reinstall windows 7….