Michael Dell gives thumbs up to Windows 8.1

Dell founder labels Windows RT a 'mistake'

Michael Dell has given a cautious endorsement of Windows 8.1 as he labelled Windows RT a "mistake".

Speaking at Dell's Technology Camp in Paris yesterday, Dell's eponymous founder (pictured) maintained that corporate uptake of Windows 8 has been in line with normal adoption cycles.

"I think the Windows 8.1 release cleans up a lot of the challenges associated with the first release, in terms of the start page and a whole series of other challenges," he said.

"We think Windows RT was a mistake and we are well down with Windows RT. Windows 8.1 looks to us to be a lot stronger."

Windows 8 has received a mixed reception since its launch 12 months ago but Dell played down concerns over the pace of adoption.

"We are primarily focused on the commercial space and what is going on in the commercial space right now is the move from Windows XP to 7," he said.

"We don't really see large-scale adoption of Windows 8 but there is no Windows cycle in the past 20 years where corporations immediately adopted, so we are where we expect to be from a corporate standpoint."

Dell is not wedded to Microsoft, he added, highlighting the firm's partnerships with Android and Ubuntu.

"We see Dell embracing a variety of platforms to give our customers choice," he said.