Windows 8 Is Coming – Ready or Not

By Wayne Maruna

            As we move closer to fall, the Microsoft hype machine will crank up into high gear as the company readies the launch of the latest iteration of its Windows operating system, to be called Windows 8. (It is, after all, replacing Windows 7.)  The announced release date has been set for October 26^th (earlier to OEM builders like HP or Dell.).  It’s been pointed out that the market successes of the string of Windows versions since Windows 95 debuted have shown a pattern:  Windows 98, well-received; Windows Millennium, panned; Windows XP, loved; Windows Vista, not loved, Windows 7, the best to date.  This would seem to be a bad omen for Windows 8.

            Microsoft has released a couple of free preview versions for curious techies to play around with. The first of these was called the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, and the second was called the Windows 8 Release Preview.  If you have a spare hard drive and know how to download an ISO file and burn it to a DVD, and can load it onto your computer without screwing up your existing installation, you can experiment for yourself.  Personally, I don’t advise it.

            Microsoft’s approach to Windows 8 appears to be to create a singular Windows experience regardless of the device you will use it on, be it desktop, laptop, tablet, or Windows phone.  They are moving to something originally called a Metro interface, although that was just a marketing name that told you nothing about the experience. Microsoft has abandoned that name but not yet replaced it with anything more meaningful.  They are incorporating touch screen features as are common on tablets and smart phones, so expect a touch screen monitor someday in your future.

            I have to say that my early impressions of Windows 8 are not positive.  It’s not that it doesn’t work.  It’s just that anyone who has spent any length of time working in Windows has to throw out much of what they have learned. Most everything is new and foreign, or so my experiences to date would suggest.  Nothing is where you expect it to be. Someone who was brought up on smart phones and can text with their thumbs faster that I can type on a keyboard might have no trouble at all.

            I’m glad to know it’s not just me who feels this way. Shortly after the Consumer Preview came out, respected tech writer Woody Leonhard, writing for the subscription e-letter Windows Secrets, was equally derisive in his review.  Describing the user interface (UI), he writes “As you poke your way through the rest of the UI, hold onto your keyboard – you’re in for a jarring experience.” The usual desktop has been replaced by a series of application tiles (the interface previously called Metro). There is a way to get back to what Microsoft is calling the ‘legacy desktop’, but once there, good luck finding your list of programs.  In my experimentation, I could not find it.  Heck, it took me several sessions to figure out how to gracefully shut the computer down. And I am not alone.

            If you have four minutes to spare, check out this website: http://www.webpronews.com/windows-8-confuses-and-baffles-elderly-dad-2012-03

It’s a video of what is called an ‘elderly man’ (he doesn’t look so elderly from my vantage point) who has been challenged by his son to navigate his way around the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, and this guy is no Windows novice.  Don’t be expecting an action flick.  It’s basically four minutes of watching this guy stare at his screen while he tries to find something to click on to make his computer do something – anything.  The video’s most telling point is at the end when the man, utterly confused by what he had just been put though, asks his son, “They tryin’ to drive me to Mac?”

There are going to be several versions of Win8, just as there has been with earlier versions. Most users will get the version known simply as Windows 8.  Some with more technical requirements may opt for Windows 8 Pro.  There will also be a special version for enterprise customers, and a unique version for tablets running on ARM processors.

It has been reported that, in an unprecedented move for Microsoft, special upgrade pricing will be available for current Windows users.  Whereas in the past an upgrade version would have cost around $100, this time people running XP (yes, even XP), Vista, or Win7 will be able to upgrade to Win8 Pro for a flat $40.  People who buy a Windows 7 computer between now and the time Win8 launches will be able to upgrade for $15.

Based on what I have seen of Win8, my recommendation at this time would be that if you think a new computer is anywhere in your near future – and by near I mean in the next year or so – buy one now with Windows 7 on it,  before Win8 launches and becomes your only choice.  For $15, you’ll still have the option to upgrade at a later time, after there is more user experience in the marketplace to enable a better informed decision.