What problem does Windows 8 solve?

Summary: Windows 8 is intended to be Microsoft’s platform that does everything for everyone. The problem is it doesn’t solve anyone’s problems, so who will need it?

As Microsoft gets Windows 8 ready for the Consumer Preview coming shortly I am spending a lot of time thinking about the next OS from Redmond. There is a lot to consider given its multiple personalities. It’s a desktop OS, mobile OS, tablet OS, and touch OS all rolled into one. Rather, all rolled into multiple SKUs depending on the hardware involved. I admit to feeling more uneasy about Windows 8 the more I consider what problem(s) it intends to address. Fact is I just don’t see any.

Source

A Guy

 

[Mike Lonewolf]

I remember a Operating System named Windows X.

Wasn't that X Windows?

Right X Windows

 

[bobtran]

Funny how on Android this change is called a "Launcher" and costs less than $5.00....Not sure what Microsoft is thinking when they add a launcher and convince themselves that it justifies more than $100 upgrade cost per PC. Windows 7 is a great OS and I for one cannot really see any reason to pay to upgrade at this point. As someone else posted this release fixes........A Microsoft revenue problem and position's them to play in the tablet market.....not sure why we should pay for that but, to each their own. I for one will be watching for a long....long time before I spring for an upgrade from Windows 7.....I suspect that Business will take a skip on this iteration of Windows and opt for Windows 9 next (skip every other version).Xp -> skip Vista -> Win7 -> Skip 8 -> yup......next upgrade Windows 9.

 

[whs]

You are probably right - unless they surprise us.

 

[Coke Robot]

Technology in hardware demands newer updates to take advantage of what is already built in to most computers. So rather that look at what problems it solves seems more to the point that hardware demands new software and any company that does not recognize that is in trouble. If in the process of building software to utilize the hardware advances happens to require less memory to run ( when I boot Windows 7 it uses 2232 meg of memory and less than 1000 when I boot Windows 8 developer) then so much the better for users.

I can't imagine a computer world where stop developing is even remotely considered.

I can imagine a computer world where stop developing is considered: apple.

 

[BarnabasSackett]

Not everyone sees a need to own a PC though (my parents don't).

I would argue that no one needs a PC, it isn't an essential for life like clean water.

If you've never been shown how to use a PC OS, you aren't going to know the "tricks".

Maybe it is just the way that I'm wired. I like to know how things that I buy work. When I get a new camera I sit down and read the manual and fiddle with the controls to get a feel for what it does. The same is true for phone, stereo, car, etc..

I'm old enough to remember when computers came with manuals. I read the MS-DOS manual from cover to cover. Long, long time ago, I had a conversation with someone at Microsquash about the vanishing manuals and they said that manuals were expensive and no one read them.[/quote]

Also MS doesn't make it easy to find out what features are available and they are unable to explain their operation anyway.

True. There are so many "hidden things" in Windows anymore that it isn't funny. I've been beating around the PC world since MS-DOS 2 and I was an assembly language programmer but if it wasn't for the internet, I would be blundering about in the current version of Windows unable to get my compute to boot.

I only recently discovered that "Ctrl + Shift + N" creates a new folder in Windows Explorer (just like it does in Nautilus).
When was that introduced?

That's a new one on me. I think. I'm getting old enough that I no longer remember what I've forgotten.

Various "improvements" in Windows 7 haven't helped either.
For example, the way that Windows 7 completely ignores the "Read-only" file attribute.

I had noticed that but that I must have doing something wrong.

Remember the menu shortcut key underlines?
There doesn't seem to be a simple way to make them stay displayed anymore.

Windows 8 will just make things worse, because "everything you know is wrong" now.

Been there before.

I'm going to shut up now or I'll start ranting like a crazy old guy.

 

[lehnerus2000]

Grumpy Old Guys

I'm old enough to remember when computers came with manuals. I read the MS-DOS manual from cover to cover. Long, long time ago, I had a conversation with someone at Microsquash about the vanishing manuals and they said that manuals were expensive and no one read them.

Me too.

I'm going to shut up now or I'll start ranting like a crazy old guy.

Us "grumpy old guys" have to stand up to the "young whippersnappers".

 

[vrosa]

I'm old enough to remember when computers came with manuals. I read the MS-DOS manual from cover to cover. Long, long time ago, I had a conversation with someone at Microsquash about the vanishing manuals and they said that manuals were expensive and no one read them.

Me too.

I'm going to shut up now or I'll start ranting like a crazy old guy.

Us "grumpy old guys" have to stand up to the "young whippersnappers".

 

[Mike Lonewolf]

Same here!!!

 

[Win8User512]

The problem that Windows 8 solves is Microsoft's. If current desktop PCs and laptops become niche market devices, supplanted for most users by mobile devices that interface to the Cloud, the current MS business model could be in serious trouble.

I'm not predicting that we'll all be using iPhones and iPads or their Android equivalents in five years. However, I recall the highly successful minicomputer makers of the 1980s (DEC, Wang, Prime, Data General). Rather than adapt to market changes, they went extinct. My guess is that MS is positioning the company so that they'll maintain their near monopoly in computing, even if computing means something quite different from what it meant in 2010. I wouldn't care to bet against MS: I recall how they recovered from failing to foresee the growth of the Web. (Anyone used the Netscape browser lately?)

A lot of people are missing that point. MS has to keep up with the market trend now. They don't set it anymore. There is no doubt they are starting the process to unify the desktop and mobile platforms--Just as Apple has and Android must too.

 

[PaulGo]

Problems that Windows 8 will solve? hmmmmmmmmm...WELL to alot of us, it will solve what to do till Windows 9 comes out.
IF there is a Windows 9. For some REASON, unbeknownst to me, I have a feeling the following up to Windows 8 will be Windows X
(Can they use that as a naming convention? I remember a Operating System named Windows X). Then again it is Microsoft.

Maybe the should call it WindeX and but the naming rights from the manufacturer of the glass cleaner!

The only cool feature I found is the Windows app store (where Microsoft makes 25% on the sales).
The other feature some techies may like is now the performance numbers goes up to 9.9 so now techies have a new challenge - to get all 9.9s.

Unless Microsoft offers this at a really cheap price I see no reason to upgrade from Windows 7 since I really don't like the Metro interface on a PC.

 

[The Howling Wolves]

I think a better name would be Rain X.
Once you install it you will have to wipe your hard drive and do a clean install of 7 again.

 

[area 66]

What is Windows 8 ? For me they simply graft the metro interface over Windows 7, or is it something else that I’m missing?
From what I see, Windows don’t have the big share of the market in the phone and tablet industry. If they bring their phone OS to the PC, peoples will get used to it. So next time they purchase a phone or a tablet, they gone look at MS first because they are used to it.
I own a small shop and service mainly Small Business , when I sell a new pc, it come with 7, this is not a big problem for them, but when it’s time to change from Office 2003 to office 2010, it’s a different story, secretary hate it, nothing is like before. Peoples who work in office, generaly don’t like changes, they don’t like to have to learn new thing, they have enough work without it. I don’t see how MS will sell Windows 8 to those peoples.
Sorry for my English.

 

[whs]

What is Windows 8 ? For me they simply graft the metro interface over Windows 7, or is it something else that I’m missing?
From what I see, Windows don’t have the big share of the market in the phone and tablet industry. If they bring their phone OS to the PC, peoples will get used to it. So next time they purchase a phone or a tablet, they gone look at MS first because they are used to it.
I own a small shop and service mainly Small Business , when I sell a new pc, it come with 7, this is not a big problem for them, but when it’s time to change from Office 2003 to office 2010, it’s a different story, secretary hate it, nothing is like before. Peoples who work in office, generaly don’t like changes, they don’t like to have to learn new thing, they have enough work without it. I don’t see how MS will sell Windows 8 to those peoples.
Sorry for my English.

I think the main development effort went into the support of ARM processors. But that we do not see on the PCs.

 

[Mike Lonewolf]

PaulGo said:

Unless Microsoft offers this at a really cheap price I see no reason to upgrade from Windows 7 since I really don't like the Metro interface on a PC.

Well it is like this Paul, THIS is the new interface (Metro) and it will remain that. If you upgrade it or not. My problem with it is..
I can't get to the "properties sheet" of thee metro tiles. BUT it will be figured out by someone, so that we can edit the designs of the Metro tiles.

 

[Corpsecrank]

I will tell what win8 solves for some of us. I may actually enter the mobile world once this OS is in full swing simply because of it. I had up till now completely avoided mobile because I don't want to bother with any of the current mobile OS platforms. They suck I don't care what anyone else thinks that is how i feel about them. I have other reasons I dislike mobile but that is at least half my gripe right there.

What windows 8 solves for me is the gap between a desktop and other devices. I want things to be the same as they are on my desktop and why wouldn't I really. I am after all the most familiar and skilled with the desktop environment. Anything else is going to be a completely new and time wasting learning experience for me. So to be able to pick up any and every device that supports 8 and know how to use it and be good at using it without any learning involved and without any significant change to how I use it well that is just miraculous really.

It also solves a lot of problems for specific groups like multimedia designers such as myself. Most of the tools used for design benefit the most from touch input. Photoshop is the best example. You would ideally want a touch input to draw on screen. Since windows will also interface perfectly with touch input after this you now can move fluidly from something like photoshop right into the OS without even noticing any difference. This is a huge step forward for productivity in that sense.

Because the most popular OS will now support touch expect the price on touch hardware for a pc to plummet and become affordable. Touch is going to become a standard feature in your PC monitor after this. I would expect display manufacturers to jump all over the whole thing and start making it a standard feature and refining it specifically for pc displays.

Until now who had a touch monitor for PC? The only instances I can think of are those crappy touch PC deals they sell in stores that almost no one buys and the input devices a designer would be using which cost a lot of money and only a designer would really need or want which they don't exactly classify as a display.

There are many many advantages over previous versions of windows. Advantages taken for granted considering the reliability of win7 and familiarity of it. So many people are quick to dismiss the idea of 8 given that fact. They refuse to move on saying things like why would I upgrade when they finally have a solid stable OS that I like out.

It's time to put away the reliability card because that almost doesn't factor in anymore. The OS is going to be stable from this point forward so people should stop trying to compare today's OS with the experience they had 10 or 15 years ago with windows. I don't expect 8 to be "the next vista" from what I can tell it is nothing more than 7 with a redesign that is a step towards standardizing how we interact with all devices be it mobile gaming or desktop and that is a huge step forward in general.

 

[robinb9]

I also do not like this version for the office environment Businesses like to do things fast. And like the idea of having shortcuts to My documents and outlook among other files on their desktop including programs that they use all the time. Not have to muddle though a bunch of "play large apps" it is not productive. Unless Microsoft allows u when you click on the desktop app to put it like windows7 looks now. So far I do not see this and in the tutrorial that brink gives us. Yes you can create a shortcut but every time you need to add to it you need to redo it. I do not see the average user do this or the business user do this. I do see the young adult community love windows 8. With their using smart phones and tablets since it will integrate but if one wants a play computer why not just get a tablet instead.
It will be a very hard sale for dell whose main focus is selling to the business world and myself who sells to small business. My consumer clients will love this new OS but again unless in the
Final version Microsoft gives something to help out businesses. I do not see this Os taking off
Robin

 

[lehnerus2000]

It's like swapping to Linux (or worse DOS).

So to be able to pick up any and every device that supports 8 and know how to use it and be good at using it without any learning involved and without any significant change to how I use it well that is just miraculous really.

That's OK for new users.

It's a nightmare for experienced users.
It is almost impossible to find anything now.
If you don't know the exact name of a specific tool, it doesn't appear in the search results.

It's like swapping to Linux (or worse DOS).

It also solves a lot of problems for specific groups like multimedia designers such as myself. Most of the tools used for design benefit the most from touch input. Photoshop is the best example. You would ideally want a touch input to draw on screen.

That's what graphics tablets are for.
How many "great works of art" were created by finger painting?

 

[robinb9]

Also Microsoft does not make their money from the consumer. They make it from the small to the large businesses the consumer will purchase maybe 1 machine or 2 and will put the "home premium" version which costs less money. The business will purchase from 3 all the way up to in the thousands depending how large the company is and they are the ones that do more of the upgrading. But they do it slower. So I would have thought Microsoft would make this OS more user friendly for the business user not taking out but adding to the desktop app like I said in my prior post to allow them the choice to make it look like 7. Businesses do not like change and like the person who said office 2003 to 2010 is a major change and I know business users do not like the change because one of the things I do is teach 2010 to businesses they gripe all the time they hate all those ribbons. Now go and completely change over an OS is going to result in businesses taking a very long time to move over to the new 0S. I have clients still on xp wh have not moved to windows 7 and the change is not as drastic as this new OS is. Unless the new OS has some of the things I talked about here. I cannot see them upgrading even from 7 for a very long time if Microsoft learns its lesson and fixes it in windows 9
Robin

 

[Colonel Travis]

Until now who had a touch monitor for PC? The only instances I can think of are those crappy touch PC deals they sell in stores that almost no one buys and the input devices a designer would be using which cost a lot of money and only a designer would really need or want which they don't exactly classify as a display.

Have you ever used a touch monitor exclusively? If you like reaching over your desk and banging away on hard glass 24/7, then touch is awesome. Most people don't like doing that stuff all day long, which is why you haven't seen a touch screen explosion. When 7 came out I heard this talk. Hasn't happened, has it? It won't happen until someone can develop a screen that at least = a mouse and current keyboard setup. I'm sure in the coming centuries that will happen. Not during 8, which is just an operating system change. It's not a computer lifestyle change.

 

[BarnabasSackett]

, but when it’s time to change from Office 2003 to office 2010, it’s a different story, secretary hate it, nothing is like before. Peoples who work in office, generaly don’t like changes, they don’t like to have to learn new thing, they have enough work without it.

Why change? I'm still using Office 2000 because I did not want to lay out the cash for a new word processor. It works fine. Unless, my buddy who installed Win 8 is right in that none of his old applications will run under Win 8. I guess that is one way to get people to buy new versions of Office.