Migration Expert Zone

Microsoft recently announced that the public beta version of Windows 8 would be released late in February 2012.  IT analysts from IDC and Forrester responded with largely negative comments. 

Confusing the issue further was the release of a report from NetMarketShare that Windows XP is still the operating system of choice for half of the entire global user base. So even though most users haven’t even made the migration to Windows 7 yet, Microsoft is already introducing Windows 8, and the analysts don’t seem to like it.  Not a pretty picture.

Microsoft has announced that support for Windows XP will end in 2014, and it’s already launched campaigns suggesting to users that they not wait until the last minute to migrate to Windows 7.  As we’ve mentioned previously here on Migration Expert Zone, experts agree that it’s smartest to upgrade now and not wait for Windows 8.

Videos that have been released showing off the features of Windows 8 suggest that this is not as much of an upgrade to the underlying kernel and code of the operating system itself as it is a dramatic change to the user interface.  Instead of the familiar icons and drop menus, users will interact with tiles in a manner very similar to the interface for Windows Phone 7. 

This new user interface, dubbed Metro, seems to have been designed specifically for touch screens, such as those found in tablet devices. Microsoft is so committed to Metro that everyone from COO Kevin Turner to field sales personnel has been using PowerPoint templates designed using a motif that resembles the new UI.

2014 is only two years away, which is actually very little time for the remaining half of Windows users to upgrade. 

Microsoft made the migration from Windows XP or Vista to Windows 7 relatively easy, and with the major change from 7 to 8 being the user interface, it is likely that that migration will be even simpler.  The most difficult part of the transition from Windows 7 to 8 will likely be in retraining users and getting them acclimated to the new interface. 

Unless you are addicted to your Windows Phone 7, and you don’t mind using an unsupported operating system, now might be a good time to consider planning your migration to Windows 7.