Microsoft is facing troubled times, as its Window 8-based PCs are not flying off the store shelves as the company would have hoped for, according to a recent report. If what the report indicates turns out to be true, then Microsoft's worst fear is slowly being realized.

Since the release of the preview version of Windows 8 back in 2011, it was evident that the company would have a hard time selling Windows 8 to consumers who are not interested in the changes Microsoft had made. The company pushed on still, hoping that with time it could persuade Windows users that Windows 8 is an upgrade worthy of their precious time and money.

"Sales of Windows 8 PCs are well below Microsoft's internal projections and have been described inside the company as disappointing," notes Paul Thurrott from winspersite, citing a source from within Microsoft.

Many may be wondering what could be the reason why Windows 8 PCs are not getting the attention they so desperately require from consumers. Well, it has to do with lackluster designs that are not attractive to the average Windows computer user.

Other reasons include Windows 8 itself. The whole touch and standard affair is confusing those who may be interested in upgrading, and then the debacle that is Windows RT and Windows 8 Pro. Apparently, the two versions are problematic for consumers, as it is not easy to tell them apart, along with the fact that legacy applications are unable to run on Windows RT devices.

It seems this gamble to support ARM on Windows 8 is not paying off for Microsoft. The company can only hope things shape up well over the course of the holidays and well into the new year.