According to a recent survey conducted by antivirus company Avast, the average Windows user is well aware of the release of Windows 8, but has no immediate plans to upgrade to the latest version of Microsoft's (News - Alert) ubiquitous desktop OS. Not only that, but about one third of Windows 7, Vista and XP users looking to buy a new PC say they're looking to get an Apple-made machine.

These findings come from a poll of over 135,000 Windows PC users in the United States.

These results confirm the general consensus that most users are unsure how to feel about Windows 8's drastic change from previous iterations of the OS. Windows 8 introduces a brand new user interface, which many have branded as more touch friendly than mouse friendly, which resides alongside the standard desktop interface. Such a radical change has obviously drawn strong opinions, both positive and negative, but it would appear most users are just unsure.

"It doesn't surprise me that people wouldn't be in a rush to buy a new PC just because it has a new operating system," says Gartner (News - Alert) analyst Steve Kleynhans, Gartner's mobile and client computing analyst. "If Microsoft somehow demonstrates through its marketing that users can do new things in new ways, that might start to get people interested."

It's important to note, though, that the Avast survey was conducted the day before Windows 8 officially went on sale, so many users hadn't experienced the operating system first hand or for any period of time. It will be interesting to see how opinions change after Windows 8 has been on the market for a while.

Also recently, Steven Sinofsky, the head of the Windows division at Microsoft, announced intentions to leave the company. This news came as quite a shock as Sinofsky was often rumored to be the next in line as CEO of the company. However, growing friction between Sinofsky and other top executives likely had much to do with his decision.

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