Intel CEO Says Windows 8 is Not Fully Ready

At a company meeting, Paul Otellini reportedly told employees that Windows 8 is released before it is "fully ready", according to an article published by Bloomberg. However, getting Windows 8 ready now is the right decision and Microsoft can release updates afterwards to fix bugs.

It is not unusual that software ships with some bugs as many companies typically resort to an 80/20 strategy in which 80 percent is good enough and the remaining 20 percent too expensive to achieve. We should also remember that Microsoft also released Windows XP and Windows 7 in October to be able to make the Christmas season of sales. Vista was originally scheduled for an October 2006 release, but delayed to January 2007 due to critical bugs. Microsoft used "Express Upgrades" in October 2006 instead - and had to deal with a logistic disaster in early 2007. If Microsoft can avoid a delay for Windows 8, it will go to great lengths to do so, even if that means that Windows 8 will ship with some annoying bugs.

Of course, it is highly unusual that Otellini's remarks, if they were made in the reported way, are making it into the public. Windows 8 has already been criticized left and right and if Intel now suggests that the operating system still has bugs that need to be worked out, then more than just a few prospective computer buyers may decide to stick with Windows 7. That, of course, also means that Intel will be taking a hit in potential CPU sales as customers are delaying their purchases.

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  • That´s a load of bull............... I have been using Windows 8 (with Classic Shell to bring the good old start screen) and Windows Server 2012 in many customers. ROCK SOLID so far, running all the previous applications and almost all of the peripherals are working flawlessly. Maybe there are bugs in the ModernUI interface, but I'm not using that one whatsoever. The good old Desktop is working like a charm, especially if you install Classic Shell to bring it to Windows 7/Windows XP start menu like interface. There's absolutely no true to these comments from the 50+ workstations and servers I have running on Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8.
    Reply
  • zybch
    I think he's just royally pissed that MS is supporting more chip architectures than just the boring and crappy x86 that intel has fused its wagon to and hasn't had the foresight to ditch yet.
    Reply
  • phatboe
    firstonevorlonThat´s a load of bull............... I have been using Windows 8 (with Classic Shell to bring the good old start screen) and Windows Server 2012 in many customers. ROCK SOLID so far, running all the previous applications and almost all of the peripherals are working flawlessly. ...I'm sure that since your 2 systems are running good that surely means Windows 8 must not have any problems at all.
    Reply
  • EnFission
    firstonevorlonThat´s a load of bull............... I have been using Windows 8 (with Classic Shell to bring the good old start screen) and Windows Server 2012 in many customers. ROCK SOLID so far, running all the previous applications and almost all of the peripherals are working flawlessly. Maybe there are bugs in the ModernUI interface, but I'm not using that one whatsoever. The good old Desktop is working like a charm, especially if you install Classic Shell to bring it to Windows 7/Windows XP start menu like interface. There's absolutely no true to these comments from the 50+ workstations and servers I have running on Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8.
    You installed a prerelease operating system across your organization's network?! Holy sh*t if I was the CIO/CISO of your company I would fire you on the spot.
    Reply
  • c4v3man
    EnFissionYou installed a prerelease operating system across your organization's network?! Holy sh*t if I was the CIO/CISO of your company I would fire you on the spot.It's not prerelease any more, volume license customers can get it for deployment/testing in their networks. I've been running the RTM version on my work PC for over a month, and haven't experienced any bugs so far. I'm sure the start screen will shock people at first, but you rarely see it anyways.

    I probably wouldn't roll it out to everyone before October 25th, but I'd definitely have a few workstations setup with it for compatibility testing in a large enterprise.
    Reply
  • A Bad Day
    EnFissionYou installed a prerelease operating system across your organization's network?! Holy sh*t if I was the CIO/CISO of your company I would fire you on the spot.
    Yeah, a lot of companies' managements are very hesitant about upgrading.

    Especially with beta software. Proposing a upgrade to a beta OS would get one laughed out of the conference room.
    Reply
  • zybitch, come on man! Windows only stopped supporting more than 1 architecture just recently. Through the 90's, it supported MIPS, PowerPC, and Alpha along with x86. They then added i64. They only recently backed it down to 1 and now added 3 ARM vendors. Problem is, Windows 8 only supports ARM in the RTM version so it doesn't actuall support anything but little old x86 in its full form. While I'm sure Intel is annoyed, they wouldn't bite off the hand that feeds it just because of the ARMs race. This is likely a gaffe that they didn't intend to go public but one he wanted to warn his company and investors about. There could be problems with Win8 devices an I'm sure the audience needed to know that it wasn't Intel's falt :-)
    Reply
  • rooket
    I call BS. Ever since the Vista fiasco, Microsoft has been putting out finished products. I don't use Windows 8 but I didn't have any problems with the public prerelease that I tried before. I'm certain more nonsense articles are going to be surfacing for the next few months just to give some hack at a keyboard something to write about and get paid *rolls my eyes*.
    Reply
  • tomfreak
    If u are on Windows 7, there is zero reason to upgrade to windows 8.
    Reply
  • Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer
    Of course it's not ready, they haven't even gotten the Start button to work yet.

    (drum sting)

    Don't forget to tip your waitperson, folks, and don't bring your kids to the 10:00 show...I work blue...
    Reply