This is supposed to be Windows? This isn't Windows. Are they nuts?
When Microsoft provided a first glimpse at Windows 8, I had to reflect a bit on my own history with Windows, which goes back to DOS 6 and Windows 3.1, daily defrag runs and autoexec.bat configurations every time you wanted to run a memory-hungry game. I can still vividly remember the launch of Windows 95 in 1994, receiving a beta copy and being disappointed that Microsoft would be silly enough to remove the DOS interface from direct sight. Windows 8 could be a similarly dramatic experience for PC users in 2012.
Following the first demonstration of Windows 8 at D9, Microsoft stated that the new GUI is the most significant departure from a previous Windows interface since Windows 95. In some way, we are still using the Windows 95 idea in Windows 7 - I am referring about the Start button and taskbar idea that Microsoft had more than 17 years ago. If we were generous, we would have to admit that the current desktop goes even further back, to the very beginning of Windows, and well before Windows 3.1. If you asked me, this new Start-button-less interface that is cluttered with "tiles" is the most dramatic re-imagination of a Windows GUI since the first successful Windows, version 3.1.
Interestingly enough, the reactions to this new Windows, were - at least among the people I know - not overwhelmingly positive. "That's not Windows", someone told me and I had to agree to some degree given the look of the new UI. I actually think there may be enough reason for Microsoft to drop "Windows" at some point. Even if it is a strong brand, it carries a lot of legacy baggage. What about a new brand? To remain in the home improvement market - what about Microsoft Tiles? Hey, Windows 8 is just a codename. We know that we will get a final product name that is worse than the development name anyway and if Microsoft is alienating its traditional users with a tile-based interface that is a mix between the GUI used in Windows Phone 7 phones and Xbox Live, why not go all the way and retire Windows?
Microsoft sends a signalYou may not like the new interface. You may have hundreds of applications and you may be worried how many tiles you need to swipe to the left to get to the one app you want. I don't think that will be an issue as the actual start menu can still be accessed. If there is anything we should be worried about, it is the general interaction between a traditional PC and tiles. You will have to move a mouse much more than before. However, I don't think that anyone would install this OS on a traditional PC. I will get back to that a bit later.
What is important to notice is that Microsoft recognizes that the times are changing. We are in the midst of a time that will alter the way we use computers and interact with them. Microsoft needs a unified operating system for all new platforms as Windows 7 just does not work on tablets very well. There is a thirst for an OS that is a substantially different. Given Microsoft's resources, the company should be the first that can apply its experience and resources to come up with something different and much more capable than today's operating systems. We are seeing Microsoft taking risks again and innovate. I am actually happy that Microsoft is taking this step and I am gladly looking at the new interface and not dismiss it upfront.
Of course, Microsoft can't change computing alone. It will need to convince hardware makers to be creative as well and not just slap new colors on new notebooks and tell us that those new notebooks are even thinner than they were last year. PC makers will have to take similar risks and create a computing environment and ecosystem that reflects the needs of our time. I have to admit that I am living in a tablet fatigue where countless tablets are announced, but none would be compelling enough to convince me to actually buy one. A dramatic change in the operating system with new user models could prompt a major change in computer models as well.
A blast with KinectIt was interesting to hear Microsoft state that Windows 8 would work with a traditional mouse as well. It very much sounded like an approach that makes the mouse and touchpad second-class devices to input data in future. The natural conclusion would be that you really don't want to run Windows 8 on a traditional notebook or PC, unless you have a touch screen. However, we also have learned that touch screens do not work in vertical applications.
I am thinking that Windows 8 could work very well with gestures and a Kinect-like technology that could be integrated in notebooks. Microsoft already provides the Kinect SDK for Windows, which means that apps could make it to the Windows 8 desktop in a snap. You may not even have to touch the Windows 8 GUI. A higher-performance camera system could function extremely well for a tile-based GUI, as there is little granularity required to move screens and launch app. Imagine, you could get rid of the touchpad, in those base apps. Microsoft may have a winner here: A completely new OS GUI generation that could spark the creation of new hardware.
If Kinect technology is, in fact, coming to PCs, Microsoft may have an opportunity to reclaim lost ground from Apple, which declined to adopt Kinect's technology. With some imagination, this could be the next stage of computing we are looking for - a stage that is beyond today's tablet.
source:tomsguide
