The overall picture, though, remains mixed as analysts and business deal with the arrival of the contentious new software which has been been both strongly criticised and supported in the weeks leading up to its release on October 26. The release ranks as Microsoft's most significant move in recent times, alongside its shift away from being just a software company. It has been referred to as an enormous gamble and leap into the unknown but it also has the potential to be the vendor's greatest milestone and lead its move into mobile.

Ultimately, the market will decide. While Windows 8 will undoubtedly have a place in the consumer space, either through voluntary upgrades and adoptions, or retail products which have the operating system (OS) preinstalled, the big question is whether businesses will embrace, adapt, or deny it.

Gartner Research director, Peter Sondergaard, speaking at the firm's Symposium/ITexpo in the US, said, "However good the prospects look for Windows 8 in the consumer market or for tablets, there are no compelling business imperatives to drive legacy devices in business towards Windows 8."

"Ninety per cent of enterprises will bypass broad scale deployment of Windows 8 through at least 2014."