A quick glance at Windows 8 will tell you that this is not Windows 7 or XP or any other Windows that you might be familiar with. The Start screen is a sharp departure from the Start of old and the live tiles are a fresh new way of interacting with your PC... but is it worth making the change to the new colorful Windows 8?
Windows 8 is a big change for Microsoft and at its core is the belief that work and play are intertwined and so really are the use cases for tablets and computers. Of course this tablet and computer "best of both worlds" is really evident in the new touchscreen Windows 8 hardware, but the ideas behind the new OS still shine even when it is in the form of an upgrade. While new hardware might not be in the picture for you, there are still reasons why you might want to consider moving your PC to Windows 8, here are a few:
1. It Looks Really Nice. Of course there are other benefits than simply looks to Windows 8, but since we are a design site, we would be remiss not to start off with just how much easier on the eyes Windows 8 is. We are huge fan of the live tiles and think that the clean, colourful design is a huge step in the right direction for Microsoft. We cringe whenever we leave the Start screen for Desktop and can't wait till Microsoft makes the two elements more cohesive and consistent.
2. Faster Boot Times. Although your Windows 7 logo'd hardware is not likely to start up as snappily as a brand new piece of Windows 8 kit, you will see a faster boot time with an upgrade to Windows 8.
3. Gestures & Multitasking. As big Exposé and Spaces addicts in OS X we are thrilled to see gestures play a big part in Windows 8. The best way to use the gestures is via touch, but there are also mouse-friendly options. The multitasking in Windows 8 is pretty great and we love snapping apps and running two side by side.
4. Smaller Memory Footprint. Instead of gulping your precious memory, Windows 8 is a much tidier eater and with the upgrade you will have less of a drain on your memory in the form of a smaller memory footprint.
5. Keeps Everything in Sync. With your Microsoft account, Windows 8, SkyDrive, and Office 2013 your documents, photos, contacts, and almost everything else are all kept nicely in sync. This is the first time we've really seen such a cohesive solution on the PC side of things and it's making our Microsoft loving friends who have long been jealous of MobileMe/iCloud very, very happy.
6. Skype. If you're a big Skype user you will be happy to see that it gets a lot of love in Windows 8. Skype is heavily integrated across the OS and while we have not had a chance to test it extensively, we have heard good things about it on Windows 8.
7. Windows Store. Although the app store is not as large as some that have had years to grow, it is increasing and with the market share that Windows has around the world, we expect the number of apps in it to increase exponentially over the coming years. Windows 8 brings you the Windows Store, the Windows analogue to the App Store on the Mac.
8. Better Battery Life. If you have a laptop running Windows 7 you will be happy to discover that your battery life will improve with an upgrade to Windows 8.
9. Xbox Music & Video. Interested in streaming music that will play nicely across your devices and will be light on your wallet? With Windows 8 you'll gain Xbox Music & Video.
10. It's Inexpensive. Last but not least, it's a very low cost upgrade. If you opt to download the upgrade it's a mere $39.99.
Will you upgrade your version of Windows?
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Thanks for spelling out reasons why I'll be getting a Mac when this thing burns out. I don't see user friendliness in any of those reasons and the first three reasons gave me a chuckle. Yes, I want the designers to do as much as possible for me then step back out of my way so I don't have to stop and appreciate how flashy and trendy my operating system is while I'm doing something I actually care about. That's just me I realize, but I do buy a new computer every couple years and that time is coming up.
If you're not interested in trend or flash-factor, I'm not entirely sure how a Mac will alleviate your having to be confronted with it. Apple survives on trend and flash-factor. Apple fans don't camp in line for days to get a new product and think "Oooh, I can't WAIT to spend two-to-three times what this hardware would cost in a PC." They're thinking about the pretty chassis and how great it'll look on their salvaged wood desk next to their terrarium.
it appears to me from what i have seen that Windows 8 is not that much different from android or ipad style of use.. while that is good for limited use, and carrying out basic tasks.. it is not really of use for designers and developers or other technical uses.. so probably.. i will not be using it.. unless someone gives me a free computer with it already integrated..
Do the gestures with with a camera? I cant find that answer in google (I only had a quick search)
This would be a big selling point for me, I have a wall mounted monitor I could get very Minority Reporty with
Nobody should upgrade to Windows 8 until the first Service Pack (SP) is released. If you don't know, SP1 is the first major update of a Windows OS after its release. It will contain a huge number of bug fixes, compatibility issues, and overall improvements.
I love to be on the cutting edge with my computers, but even I know better than to rush into a new Windows OS. There is simply no reason for an average computer user to consider a Win8 upgrade anytime soon. Check back in 6-9 months.
I second Dave Barnes and Haggie2.
I am running Windows 8 on one of my workstations and I don't find very user friendly (I have literally worked with every single Windows version released so I have plenty of comparison. I prefer to run my databases (Oracle and MSSQL) on another PC with Windows 2003. The Win 8 workstation has VMWare installed and now that I no longer support the application that runs on the VMWare, I will nuke it and create a new VM with Windows 2003.
Windows will not be releasing a full-blown service pack. They have moved from that model onto releasing more frequent full blown OS refreshes at a low cost, similar to how Apple has done as of late.
This post has nothing to do with Windows 8.
I have yet to try it. I work in post production, so any service pack or upgrade to windows has to be analyzed to be sure it'll run in our environment. I am happy that Microsoft is starting fresh and taking a new approach to computing. Though I don't believe a keyboard/mouse environment should be ported to a touchscreen device.
1. It's a matter of taste.
2. Maybe with a fresh install. I doubt it with an upgrade.
3. "The best way to use the gestures is via touch" Ehh,,,!?! Multitasking in W7 and Linux (what I use) is very good.
4. Memory is very cheap these days.
5. Cool if it works properly. But I don't want to keep sensitive documents in a cloud/sky server where corporations (who are there to make money) and hackers might have access to them.
6. Also cool, although I don't use Skype much. Maybe one call a month and I have not had troubles with it.
7. At last Microsoft has followed just about everyone else.
8. Default settings might extend battery life but since the monitor gobbles more than half the battery charge, I doubt the battery life has changed much, with the same display settings or, for example, while watching video.
9. Nice, although I have not used Xbox since the first version.
10. Nice but Apple OS upgrade is 19.99 and Linux (Ubuntu and Linux-Mint) is free.
I upgraded a laptop I don't use very often and would not recommend it at this point. Using two separate interfaces feels clunky. I prefer win7 unless you have a touchscreen. However, I have also tried the Surface RT and wouldn't recommend it, either. It is in desparate need of more apps.
I don't buy my Mac because it looks pretty. Macs have always handled graphics programs better than a PC so there's less down-time when I'm trying to get my work done. That's why I buy them.
Suggesting that we mac users might be superficial and see no value in money is a little tired, no?
I've just begun using Windows 8 for work. There is a learning curve. Especially in my industry (engineering analysis) the snazzy tiles are pretty useless and I expect most of my users to open up the familiar start menu.
But the multi-touch is a very important step forward. Been waiting for it for a long time.
A few years before I got my first smartphone I made a list of what I would like to have in my phone. I waited about 2 years, I think before iPhone 3GS was made. I still use it. iPhones 4,5 are just incremental updates to a product that supports me very well.
I've been waiting for something like that Microsoft Surface tablet (I think it's build quality blows away the competition out of the water) for about 5-6 years now. I still wont get it till they have the full blown Windows 8 operating system on it. Not some pared down thing called Windows RT.
I want my Adobe lightroom and photoshop to work on it right out of the box. And all the viruses that I'll contract too :/
I hate it. It is a disaster for designers and it dumbs down the user experience.
I bought a new WinTel desktop about two weeks ago. My first requirement was that it NOT have Windows 8. That was harder to do than you might imagine with the local brick and mortar boys.
with windows 8 you wont avoid ads - http://hothardware.com/News/Microsofts-Big-Hidden-Windows-8-Feature-BuiltIn-Advertising/
I realize that Microsoft is trying to deliver a cohesive interface across desktop/laptop, tablet, and mobile. To a certain extent, I agree with it. However, I don't think this execution is particularly fitting. The fact remains that on a desktop (and some laptops), you have far more hardware resources on tap that there's no need to reduce to a 16 color tile-space for energy savings. Furthermore, people will have keyboards and mice/trackpad inputs. Tablets and phones are a different beast altogether. In that space, we have limited CPUs and GPUs, are extremely battery conscious, and generally rely on touch inputs.
Were I Microsoft, I would have created an equivalent of a Mac "Dashboard" and put the Metro UI there. Perhaps multiple "Dashboards" to correspond to individual Win8 tablets and phones. But then I would leave the general UI to more of a Win7 feel.
Apple has yet to fully show its hand with respect to a unified interface, but the small changes that it has been pushing in the past (10.6->10.7->10.8) have me thinking that Apple is closer to a good solution than what Microsoft is presenting with Win8.
Before any Microsoft or Apple zealots get on my case: I am a former hardware junkie and ran Microsoft-only from Win 3.11 to 7. In the past three years, I phased out my desktop for a hybrid laptop (Dell Latitude XT2) before switching over to a 15" Macbook Pro running Parallels for the rare instances I needed to run Windows-specific applications. I think that makes me well qualified to cast judgment on both camps. In my opinion, the major PC OEMs simply outspec and outvalue Apple in almost all categories save build quality, displays, and trackpads. Meanwhile Apple's tight control of its hardware and software ecosystem allows it to make software that is highly optimized for (sometimes limited) hardware and provide a generally cohesive user experience. The trade-off is that power users like myself will find themselves frustrated with the inability to tweak to our heart's content. I used to look at computers as a hobby; now I view them as appliances and tools. So while I do get frustrated with Apple's products not letting me get that 10% extra functionality, I have spent zero effort in establishing the first 90% of functionality. The same cannot be said of my experience with Microsoft and Google's products.
1 Form over function? Is that really your argument?
2. You won't get faster boot times simply by switching your OS, you'd have to upgrade your hard drive to a SSD
3. This is on the list of cons for Windows 8, how its multitasking is dead in favour of a iOS type of multi tasking, so in reality you can multi task less.
4. "Good enough computing" is the concept that explains why this point is dead, we have way more memory in our PCs than what we normally use, anyone who uses more will not buy your standard PC with 4GB of RAM
5. This is actually a good argument, but if you are not required to use Microsoft Office, then there are tons of free alternatives.
6. You can use skype in any version of Windows
7. This is where the philosophical differences begin, and that is where lots of people in the industry are drawing a line of NO
8. BS BS BS BS, you will have the same battery life you did before, unless you buy a new computer
9. That is a good reason.