Windows 8 Bloatware: Say It Ain’t So
The VAR Guy has high hopes for Windows 8, especially in the Ultrabook business market. But there’s some concern bloatware (free trial software most folks don’t want) could bog down Windows 8 systems. The VAR Guy wonders: If the PC industry is so committed to matching Apple’s end user experience, then why does PC bloatware still exist? Here’s the unfortunate two-part answer.
Fact is:
- Many PC makers make decent money loading up their notebooks, netbooks and desktop PCs with bloatware. So in the age of thin PC hardware margins, bloatware can help to boost PC maker profitability.
- Even Microsoft profits from bloatware, offering a $99 service to help customers clean bloatware from their systems.
That might be a well-intentioned Microsoft service. But it’s sort of like listening to someone insult you, and then paying them for a nice apology.
It Ain’t All Bad
Microsoft has done so much right in the past year or two. Windows 8 looks promising. Business applications like Lync, SharePoint, Exchange and Dynamics CRM continue to generate strong demand. And Office 365 is a vast improvement over the former Microsoft cloud offering called BPOS (Business Productivity Online Suite).
Still, blemishes remain. One of those blemishes is bloatware. The VAR Guy wonders: What if a PC maker advertised a bloatware-free PC. Would customers boot up to the idea?
