Report: Majority of Windows 8 Users Ignore Metro / Modern UI Applications

Included in Soluto’s latest Monthly Insights Report is a rather interesting study of 313,142 Metro app launches across 9,634 unique apps and 10,848 Windows 8 computers that found something that we’ve suspected for quite some time: Windows 8 users are largely ignoring Metro / Modern UI applications in favor of the conventional Windows desktop.

More specifically, the study indicated that on average, Windows 8 users will launch a Metro application just 1.52 times per day with 60 percent of desktop and laptop users launching an average of less than one Metro app per day. This figure is only marginally increased for tablet users who on average launch 2.71 Metro apps per day and 44 percent who average less than one Metro app per day.

Form Factor	# of Metro App Launches Per Day	% with >1 Metro App Launch Per Day
Desktop	1.41	60.78%
Laptop	1.51	59.88%
Touch-screen Laptop	2.22	58.10%
Tablet	2.71	44.38%

Soluto’s study also, unsurprisingly, noted that the most commonly used Metro application was “Windows Communication Apps,” an app container that represents the Calendar, Mail, Messaging and People applications. With the exception of Netflix, the top 10 most popular applications have been developed by Microsoft and are often pre-installed.

Further information on the study’s findings and methodology is available at the source.

Topics

Microsoft

Software

63 Comments Comment from the forums

vmem 28 May 2013 18:07

um, duh? the only a few of us bought windows 8 tablets is that we needed access to x86 software...
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nlreynolds80 28 May 2013 18:13

So how much longer is Microsoft going to insist on its current state of arrogant denial that they borked Windows 8? When will they listen to their customers and give them want they want instead of telling them what they need?
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wavetrex 28 May 2013 18:15

Correction:
The majority of Windows users ignore Windows 8.
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IAmVortigaunt 28 May 2013 18:15

So what's considered "launching" a Metro app? Once you launch one, you might typically just leave it running? Does that only count as one "launch", even though you might keep switching to it throughout the day? Also, how much time are people on average spending on their devices. If it's a home computer or tablet, I can see someone checking email (though they might check that on the phone), then watching netflix, and that's about it. Also, you say this means people are ignoring metro in favor of desktop, but how many desktop applications are they launching? Oh wait, you don't list that. And why is that? Personally, I think it's because you're not actually interested in a study of usage on Windows 8, but instead you're pandering to the commenters on Tom's that want to hear how Win8 is an unmitigated disaster...when it actually isn't.
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IAmVortigaunt 28 May 2013 18:17

So what's considered "launching" a Metro app? Once you launch one, you might typically just leave it running? Does that only count as one "launch", even though you might keep switching to it throughout the day? Also, how much time are people on average spending on their devices. If it's a home computer or tablet, I can see someone checking email (though they might check that on the phone), then watching netflix, and that's about it. Also, you say this means people are ignoring metro in favor of desktop, but how many desktop applications are they launching? Oh wait, you don't list that. And why is that? Personally, I think it's because you're not actually interested in a study of usage on Windows 8, but instead you're pandering to the commenters on Tom's that want to hear how Win8 is an unmitigated disaster...when it actually isn't.
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icepick314 28 May 2013 18:17

I'm guessing most apps open are games here and there, Netflix, and Hulu...
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bigdragon 28 May 2013 18:19

So this will kill Metro, right? Microsoft ditched the Start Menu because so few people used it. Apparently now we learn that way more people used the Start Menu than use Metro. Will Microsoft be consistent here? Probably not.
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teh_chem 28 May 2013 18:31

When there are two identical, separate, and non-synchronized versions of applications on both the "Modern UI" and within the "standard" desktop UI, it's no surprise that people begin to ignore one interface all together (and no surprise it's Metro that most people ignore).
It's dumbfounding why IE within Metro is not the same app as IE as launched from the desktop.
Regardless, as said above, the wording of this is quite poor--what constitutes "launching" an app? Also, the numbers are conveniently omitted for number of "desktop app" launches per day. If it's the same amount as metro launches, then we have no statistical difference between the two, and this study says nothing of value.
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IAmVortigaunt 28 May 2013 18:32

"Windows 8 users are largely ignoring Metro / Modern UI applications in favor of the conventional Windows desktop."

Where's your support for this statement? You don't even have desktop usage numbers. Are you assuming you know how many apps people open on the desktop? What is this based on? I bet there's a large segment of the PC using public that opens a browser and nothing else on the desktop for like 90% of their uses. Where is your comparison?????? Well?
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dragonsqrrl 28 May 2013 18:40

10874809 said:
Also, you say this means people are ignoring metro in favor of desktop, but how many desktop applications are they launching? Oh wait, you don't list that. And why is that? Personally, I think it's because you're not actually interested in a study of usage on Windows 8, but instead you're pandering to the commenters on Tom's that want to hear how Win8 is an unmitigated disaster...when it actually isn't.

Yep, this is a Tom's Hardware News article. The news team sets the bait; the fanboys, haters, and trolls take it. It's yellow journalism at its worst.
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