Wall Street Journal tech columnist Walt Mossberg wrote today about his
difficulties in upgrading existing Windows personal computers to the latest
Microsoft operating software, Windows 8. Complications, of course, have
advantages from Microsoft and its allies.
As Mossberg’s column indicates, what Microsoft and computer makers such as
Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo would really like you to do is buy a new computer
with Windows 8. Pretty please.
One perhaps unintentional benefit of complicated Windows 8 upgrades – which
cost as little as $40 – is to spur people to give up on the old PC and head to
the nearest Best Buy .

Any trickiness of upgrading also underscores how Windows 8, which launched
in late October, is a break from Microsoft’s tradition of making its computer
software work reasonably well with previous versions.
The biggest break is one flavor of Windows 8 — dubbed Windows RT and used
in some tablet-style computers like Microsoft’s own Surface — can’t run existing
versions of software you may have had on your home PC for years. In short,
forget that copy of Quicken you have sitting on your desktop. It won’t work.
To be sure, analyst Al Hilwa of IDC cautioned that it’s always been tricky
to upgrade to new versions of Windows. “Unless the manufacturer stands behind
it, you are going to have to go hunt-down drivers whenever you upgrade, which,
frankly is beyond most ordinary users,” Mr. Hilwa said in an email.
At a conference in November, Windows division financial chief Tami Reller
said “upgrade momentum” for Windows 8 is outpacing that of Windows 7. “For as
little as $39.99 you get Windows 7 made even better,” she said.
Of course if it’s hard to upgrade older computers to Windows 8, or if – as
Microsoft says – the software’s features really shine best on new PCs, that’s
all the better for Microsoft, for computer makers such as Dell, and for
computer-chip companies such as Intel. They’re all hoping Windows 8 can help
reverse a decade-worst soft patch in PC sales, as people have held off replacing
old machines or opt for an iPad instead of a second computer in the den.
“You haven’t had a compelling reason to replace your old PC,” Dell Chief
Executive Michael Dell said in an interview in October when Windows 8 launched.
“Well, I think you just got one.”
But some industry data has indicated a slow sales start for Windows 8 PCs.
Sales of Windows-powered notebook PCs fell 11% in the five-week holiday period
ended Dec. 22, according to research firm NPD Group. The figures, based on sales
numbers from retailers such as Best Buy Co., haven’t included sales of
Microsoft’s own Surface tablet-style computer.
Microsoft on Tuesday disclosed the company has sold 60 million licenses for
Windows 8, a trajectory the company said is “similar” to the prior version of
Windows. The figure reflects sales to people who opted to upgrade older
Windows-powered computers to Windows 8 (as Mossberg tried to do), and sales of
Windows 8 software licenses to computer makers such as Dell, which then sell
their PCs to the public. The figure therefore doesn’t directly indicate sales of
Windows 8 devices to consumers and businesses.
The Windows 8 PC lineup includes a breadth of higher-priced PCs, including
laptops and desktops with touch screens, which ramp up the cost, and therefore
the sticker price, of PCs. That could bring relief to PC makers weary of
consumers buying the cheapest computer they can buy.
But NPD said the average selling prices for Windows notebook PCs were $420
in the five weeks ended Dec. 22, up just $2 from the same period a year ago. (By
comparison, the average price for an Apple MacBook rose $100 to $1,419.)
UPDATE: A Microsoft spokesman said Tuesday: “Windows 8 continues
Microsoft’s strong commitment to backward compatibility across apps and
peripherals even as we introduce the new app ecosystem that works across both
Windows 8 and Windows RT devices. In fact, we haven’t raised hardware
requirements since Windows Vista. That means Windows 8 has the potential to run
on more PCs than any other previous operating system….[W]e’re finding the vast
majority of customers are having a positive upgrade experience.”