Microsoft’s Big Bet

Sporting a radical redesign that’s expected to charm some and disappoint others, Microsoft’s new Windows 8 operating system (OS) faces a tough slog, including a slow adoption rate, analysts said recently.

“The challenges of a new user interface, a complex set of processor choices and a long ramp to a compelling set of app offerings in the Microsoft Store will translate to a slower-than-usual Windows upgrade cycle,” said Frank E. Gillett, an analyst with research and advisory firm Forrester.

I often like to refer to the development cycle of the Internet in terms of “dog years.” That is, for every year that traditional business processes mature, it feels like the Internet has advanced seven. For the uninitiated, it’s a crazy, unpredictable ride that seems to push forward at a rate fast enough to make us feel like we’ll never catch up, no matter how attentive we are.

Breaking news from SEMA member companies, including MagnaFlow,  Rampage Products, Design Engineering Inc., Bilstein of America, Advanced Flow Engineering and more.

Writer, educator and industry speaker Dick Dixon passed away November 15 after battling cancer. A three-time SEMA Ambassador of the Year and Motorsports Legends Hall of Fame inductee, Dixon lived by the philosophy that life was a sandbox from which to learn, work and play.