Dell Admits Windows 8 Did Not Meet Expectations, Pins Hopes on Blue

From X-bit Labs: Dell, a top supplier of personal computers, admitted during a conference call with financial analysts that Windows 8 platform has not met its expectations and has not become a catalyst for the PC revival. At the same time, the PC maker remains optimistic about the platform as new microprocessors hit the market, Windows 8 gets updated and other things change.

“It is some of the things we have been talking about over the last few quarters, where you have competing devices in some cases. Windows 8 has been from our standpoint, not necessarily the catalyst to drive accelerated growth that we had hoped it would be,” said Brian Gladden, chief financial officer at Dell.

In fact, Dell’s business does not seem to be that gloomy in general. Commercial segment continues to upgrade to Windows 7, demand from corporations and small businesses is picking up. Two customer segments who are slow-downing their purchases are consumers and governments.

Dell remains generally optimistic about the future of the PC market overall thanks to emergence of new microprocessors, form-factors and improved Windows 8 operating system in particular and Windows eco-system in general. Generally, Dell pins hopes onto the code-named Blue updates from Microsoft that will upgrade Windows 8, Windows RT, Microsoft’s online services and presumably Windows Phone 8.

“We are encouraged by what is going to play out with new chipsets and some of the work that is going on within the Windows ecosystem to hopefully over the next few months create some catalysts,” said Mr. Gladden.

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