Matthew Murray, in an article in PCMag, said the recently-released upgrade to Windows 8 doesn't do much for traditional desktop users. According to Murray, the most significant change in Windows 8.1 was giving users the ability to boot straight to a Windows environment and bypass the Start screen. Even for the most die-hard desktop users, Murray said the upgrade was still not worth subscribing. Adding the Start button back to the desktop was useless because it does not open the Start Menu itself. He said the hierarchical organization of programs was what desktop users wanted and not the button itself.

Murray wrote, "All this means that the Desktop in Windows 8.1 isn't easier to use, it's just easier to get to. So why bother?"

According to financial news website eFinance Hub, Microsoft created Windows 8 to get revenues from the growing use of tablets and portable gadgets. However, Microsoft would still need to convince more people to use the software in desktops since there had been a sales decline in these units. The report said PC sales had fallen by around 11% the second quarter this year. This marked the sixth quarter in a row for lesser PC sales. Following poor sales of its Surface touchscreen tablets, Microsoft also had to write off USD 900 million as an inventory adjustment in July.