Microsoft has taken a lot of flak for Windows 8 ever since the new operating system was released. It has been blamed for everything from the decline of the PC market to Microsoft's own demise.
But is Windows 8 really that much of a stinker, and is Microsoft really sinking because of it?
Some hardware manufacturers disliked Windows 8 so much they have compared it to Vista, while others have flat-out said it's not a success. Other analysts and tech writers have even gone so far as to say it's the most bungled new product launch since New Coke.
That's pretty harsh, so much so that it forced Microsoft to come out and actively take on the allegations. The company claims that it has sold 100 million Windows 8 licenses.
"It's hard for me to look at selling 100 million of something and not be happy," Steven Sinofsky, Microsoft's former Windows head, said at the AllThingsD D11 conference on Thursday.
As Business Insider points out, though, the numbers aren't quite as impressive as Microsoft would like you to believe, since it is including Windows 8 devices that are still on retailers' shelves across the country. It says that the number could be closer to 60 million. Add to that the fact that many analysts have labeled the company's mobile and tablet operation disappointing, too, and you've got a whole storyline developing regarding Microsoft's downfall.
Some, like Nomura Securities analyst Rick Sherlund, even suggests that CEO Steve Ballmer's bet on Windows 8 could cause frustrated shareholders to seek greater control over the company. He even noted that other software operations, like Bing, could be unloaded if the company decides the results it's getting aren't worth the investment.
But for every naysayer, there are also those who think Microsoft is doing better than everyone else thinks. The company is trying to transition into a devices and services operation, and one aspect of that is trying to turn its most popular software property, Microsoft Office, into a subscription service. Although many were skeptical at first, it seems like the move could actually pay off.
According to ZDNet, Microsoft is boasting that Office 365 Home Premium has reached more than 100 million subscribers in 100 days. That's faster than it took Spotify, HuluPlus, Dropbox, and Facebook to hit the same number.
If Office ever becomes available on iOS and Android, then those numbers could potentially go even higher.
So does that mean Microsoft can pull things off and remake itself in a mobile world? Even Windows 8 is a play for touch-oriented screens, and Windows 8.1 should offer new tweaks that make things easier for tablet and PC owners alike.
Could these developments be too late, though? Sherlund thinks it might be time for a shakeup at the top.
"One thing is clear: Microsoft shareholders are one unhappy bunch," he wrote. "Looking at the post-bubble burst over the past 13 years, the stock price is basically flat-it peaked at around $37 and has bounced between that and $20 for much of that time."
Over at the LA Times, however, Chris O'Brien actually uses similar information to wonder if Steve Ballmer actually has Microsoft on the right track. He said that since January, Microsoft stock is surprisingly up 30 percent, noting that maybe investors aren't so disgruntled after all.
"To put the recent stock climb in perspective, it is now trading close to the most recent high of $36.81 that it reached in October 2007," he wrote.
"Before that, you'd have to go back to June 2001 to find the stock in this territory, when it hit $36.50. The only time the stock was higher than those peaks was during the dot-com frenzy, rising as high as $58.38 in December 1999."
It's pretty interesting to see two different takes on very similar information, but what do you think? Is Microsoft moving up or does it need to make some changes? Let us know in the comments.
