TWICE: How significant will the debut of Windows 8 be when it begins shipping in October?
Fred Towns, New Age Electronics and Jack of All Games: We have invested a lot of focus on Windows 8 because we see the opportunities to be significant. It brings a series applications and features that can be shared across many different categories of products. With its consumer-friendly feature set, we think consumers will embrace Windows 8 and its ecosystem of products at a fast pace.
Rob Eby, D&H Distributing: We feel Windows 8 will generate new sales of mobile devices since the new OS is designed to work across various mobile and desktop platforms, unifying the user’s experience no matter what computing device is being utilized.
In addition, the touch capability of the Windows 8 paradigm accommodates a range of computing formats, from touchscreen allin- one computers, to forthcoming touch notebooks and Ultrabooks, to tablets and other handhelds.
Mobility is already a huge category for us, especially in retail, and we see Windows 8 as a positive catalyst.
Curt Hayes, Capitol Sales: Windows 8 will inject a bit of fuel into the computer business, but otherwise we don’t see it as having a huge impact on the holiday season. It really depends on how well it’s received by the market, especially the press.
