Most people aren't interested in Windows 8, massive survey finds

Microsoft Windows 8
"Microsoft design interface" makes some people nervous

Critics of Windows 8 have been quite vocal, but just how deep does the public's reticence to adopt Microsoft's new OS run?

Pretty deep, apparently.

A new survey conducted by PC security firm Avast found that of 135,329 U.S. PC users, 70 percent don't plan to upgrade.

Avast polled 350,000 users of its antivirus software worldwide. Of the U.S. respondents, 65 percent used Windows 7, 22 percent still used Windows XP, and 8 percent has yet to upgrade from Windows Vista.

Revealing numbers

The survey revealed a general apathy or disinterest toward Windows 8 in the U.S.

Sixty percent of total respondents were at least aware of Windows 8, though as the survey proved, that doesn't translate to actual interest in Microsoft's new OS.

Only 9 percent of U.S. respondents reported a desire to purchase a brand new Windows 8 PC.

As BGR pointed out Thursday, Microsoft isn't going to sink or float based on the success of Windows 8, but the objective failure of an entire platform would nevertheless be a blow to the company.

A storm of backlash

Gabe Newell, CEO of popular gaming company Valve, whipped up a storm of backlash when he called Windows 8 "a catastrophe" for PC gamers in July.

He isn't the platform's only critic, though; countless others have piped up, and we ourselves at TechRadar were disappointed in the Windows 8 launch.

But it's not all doom and gloom for PC gamers looking to upgrade, and Windows 8 is great for traditional PC users, as well.

Windows 8 is still an extremely young platform, and despite all the changes it brings, there is still plenty of time for it to win over the skeptics.

Via BGR

Michael Rougeau

Michael Rougeau is a former freelance news writer for TechRadar. Studying at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Northeastern University, Michael has bylines at Kotaku, 1UP, G4, Complex Magazine, Digital Trends, GamesRadar, GameSpot, IFC, Animal New York, @Gamer, Inside the Magic, Comic Book Resources, Zap2It, TabTimes, GameZone, Cheat Code Central, Gameshark, Gameranx, The Industry, Debonair Mag, Kombo, and others.

Micheal also spent time as the Games Editor for Playboy.com, and was the managing editor at GameSpot before becoming an Animal Care Manager for Wags and Walks.