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Microsoft are going to unleash their upcoming version of Windows tomorrow. The new version, known at this point as Windows 8 is set to generate massive revenue for the company when it is released. The big question everyone is asking is ‘will it be better than Windows 7?'.
The reason people are concerned is that Microsoft are known to ‘drop the ball' from time to time. Windows Vista was not a success story for the company and many enthusiast users were very unhappy with the release preferring to stick with Windows XP. It wasn't until Windows 7 was released that they finally moved into the current day.
Windows 8 is also going to work with tablets, which means that they might finally be able to mount a challenge against the Apple iPad. To be truly successful however it will need to be ‘instant on', and to be streamlined enough to run fast on lesser, low power processors. It may sound easy in theory, but even Apple have two separate operating systems with OSx running on desktop and laptop systems and iOS on mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. Apple are trying to ‘merge' the two operating systems to make key elements more accessible for people who switch between the desktop and mobile platforms, but there are still key differences. Microsoft may be following a similar concept.
Microsoft truly want to take over a large percentage of the mobile market. They have yet to prove themselves, and even their latest Windows 7 Phone platform has failed to grab the consumers attention.
Early builds of the operating system have been seen online, with Microsoft keen to highlight it with videos available on Youtube.
Kitguru says: Are you excited or not at all?
No, it’ll be rubbish and like Windows 7, outdated before it’s even started. Seriously, I’ve just opened a folder and look, they added a Burn button to 7… when did I last burn anything? 2009? 2008? And even then very rarely. Whereas the Delete button that I used to use a 100 times a day every day of my life is now under Organise and needs an extra click and slide down to access. And this was progress?
I tried to work out how many extra clicks per day I was using between 2008 and 2011, ‘upgrading’ from XP and CS2, to 7 and CS5. I reckon between them Microsoft and Adobe have added about 500-600 extra assorted clicks and drags per day, every day to my life, and I already have RSI. I used to like Windows because it was much easier on the arms than the click and hold of older Mac systems, but 7 went completely the wrong way. And that’s not even counting the extra mouse mileage of continually switching left right with their idiotic new taskbar and repositioning of ‘Show desktop’.
Oh, and look, Chrome has updated and hidden bookmark manager (which is in its 4th incarnation, each worse and slower than the last) , another wait and mouse movement on top of what was formerly required, a tiny unnecessary change with cumulative effect slowing down my workflow ever more, and I bet Windows 8 will be just the same. It’ll be sleek looking, but slow and clumsy to operate with everything you want hidden behind another layer of guff.
It all sounds like small beer, but since the extra-clicks and movements waste, I estimate, over 20 hours over my life every year, three entire working days, isn’t it time Microsoft et al actually checked how people use their computers?
@daniel
What?!?! A software company care about how the software they release behaves? How dare you!
I hope MS continues pushing forward, but more and more I see myself using Ubuntu and less WIndows.