Windows 8 - More Thoughts

Apart from my previous blog entry on the subject, the forums have been running hot with comments about Windows 8.

Two Distinct Camps

Comments are split between the “This is a great step forward” and “This is an unusable User Interface”.

Both are wrong.

The Winning OS will cater for both Touch Screen and Keyboard users

And that OS will be Windows 8.  Unless Microsoft are unbelievably stupid!

Windows 8 is tweaked Windows 7 with a Touch Screen overlay. From the enthusiastic comments by iPhone and iPad users, it seems to have hit a nail in the Touch Screen department. http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/29/a-review-of-the-windows-8-beta/#more-5483

The problem is with the keyboard/mouse brigade.  The Windows 8 currently on show does not fare well for this group. There are too many things missing, such as all clickable items.

But this is to be expected if one looks at the test audience, the phone / tablet brigade. In my humble opinion, this release if firmly pointed to Microsoft’s main opponents in this arena – Apple and Google and this release is a strategic way of testing the water, without having to fix anything in stone.

In the keyboard / mouse arena Windows is already the de facto standard, so, obviously Microsoft has a pretty good idea of what’s needed.  Windows 7 is a very good solution.

Where to Now?

I predict that the ‘beta’ release of Windows 8 will allow an easy choice between Metro and Point & Click, probably at the App level. 

I would expect that one will be able to choose the required experience via a preference setting for each app.

Further, as much as one can currently have multiple screens, one could easily have multiple methods for input.

Why not use a Touch device as well as a keyboard on a desktop PC?

Some Thoughts about Windows 8 Preview Metro Interface

 Having spent a little time playing with Windows 8, my first impression is that it won’t be my choice of OS for Keyboard/Mouse enabled machines.  Those using it on Windows phone 7 or a Tablet will definitely feel the opposite as they do their navigation by tapping a swiping the screen.

Touchscreen is not a universal panacea.

Touchscreen solutions are not for the greater majority of PC/Laptop users.  Yeah, I know that sounds a bit like Bill Gates saying the 64KB is more than enough memory for a PC, or Thomas Watson saying “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers”, but it’s not quite the same thing.

Touchscreen don’t work standing up!

Touchscreens are not a convenient solution for the desktop user, unless they are placed flat on the desk – try using a touch screen that’s placed vertically.  Considering that most desks I look at are covered in paper, files, books, writing instruments etc. the horizontal touch screen would either cover everything else or be covered by everything else.

Touchscreens are not a good solution for everybody

Further, being a dinosaur, I simply cannot visualize an accountant manipulating his 10 sheet workbooks or that efficient touch typist capturing a 100 page set of notes, by swiping and tapping at at screen with their fingers.  I wonder how many of Microsoft’s developer team are using a Metro interface for coding. I doubt that even the Windows 8 crowd never used anything other than a keyboard and occasional mouse.

Unfortunately using a keyboard and mouse to do battle with Metro does not succeed very well and unfortunately it is a big step backwards from the Windows 7 experience.

Method in the Madness?

But, maybe this preview, and we must not forget that it is a preview, has been released by Microsoft in its current form for strategic reasons and maybe the next release will have a simple choice option  allowing one to choose from either the Metro or Keyboard interface.

Given that underneath all the finger tapping and finger swiping there lurks an all but unchanged Windows 7, this should be difficult to implement.

If Microsoft does not offer a usable choice for all the non-touchscreen users, Windows 8 will go the same route as OS2 and Chiclet keyboards.

On the other hand, if Microsoft gets it right, they will have the same OS for all user implementations which could offer some innovative licencing offers for the multi-device user. 

Maybe a clever entrepreneur can come up with a solution combining desktop and tablet, whereby the phone/tablet plugs into the desktop, thus acting as its engine, for desktop working and can be unplugged and carried in the pocket for social networking?