I think that there is no question regarding the 'success' of Win8. The thing will be pre-installed in all upcoming new PCs, and as I said before it will be the first and sole point of reference for young kids and all those new PC users worldwide who haven't used a computer before.
Existing power users may reject it initially, but in the long run they will be forced to accept it as it is, use a third-party software solution that recreates the Start menu, or switch to a different OS altogether. It is not a case of 'if', it's just a case of 'when'.
Lets face it, Win8 will still be the mainstream choice, no matter what. Users are then presented with the following choices:
- Remain with Win7 for as long as it is relevant and supported.
- Switch to Win8, with or without a software that recreates the Start menu.
- Switch to a Linux distro.
- Go the Apple way. (Infamy! Infamy!)
I disagree. Windows Vista never took off as a mainstream choice, Windows 7 hit with a LARGE portion of the general public still using Windows XP. And I don't even know many people that had Windows Me.
Also, refer to the "New Coke" reference. It would, theoretically, fit the same criteria, they discontinued the original Coke, and the company almost went under as a result. People, as a general rule of thumb, hate change.
There's a lot of ways this thing could go. There's really no way to tell from this point in time, for anybody.
