On Thursday, Microsoft unveiled a preview of their new Windows 8 operating system, which is still currently under development, at a press event in Taipei.
The most talked-about aspect of Windows 8 is the fact that it has been designed in one package to run on multiple types of hardware, including desktops, notebooks, and tablet PCs. Is this great innovation on the part of Microsoft’s development team, or will it turn out to be a bloated mistake? Though it’s still very early, critics are already divided.
The visual interface is strikingly different from previous versions of windows, and appears to be leaving behind the standard icons and menus for a collection of colorful tiles and swiping gestures that can be navigated with the use of a finger on a touchscreen, or a keyboard and mouse. Special attention has been paid toward enhancing usability features for tablet users, including a thoughtful “thumb keyboard” option to allow for easy typing input while holding a tablet.
And Microsoft wants you to know that Windows 8 is designed for every PC user, whether or not they own a new computer.
"We've extended the trend we started with Windows 7, of keeping our system requirements either flat or reducing them over time. So Windows 8 will be able to run on a wide range of machines because it will have the same system requirements or lower", said Microsoft executive Michael Angiulo, who showed the new software at the press event. "Another thing we did is build intelligence into Windows 8 to adapt the user interface based on what hardware you have. So whether you're upgrading or buying a new PC, Windows will adapt itself for your hardware,"
This could be a very smart move for Microsoft. With Windows Vista, there were plenty of desktop and notebook users who were put off by the fact that their PC was simply too underpowered to run the shiny, new OS, even if they’d only bought it months prior.
And the company naturally wants to try to take a bite out of Apple’s domination over the tablet market, especially since businesses are now beginning to latch on to the technology for the workplace. Most popular tablet models also now have options to add a Bluetooth keyboard, some with a case design that turns the device into a pseudo-notebook. Could the company simply be seeing ahead of the curve where consumers will want an all-in-one OS and device to suit their every need?
"There are so many things we need to do in our daily professional lives that you need a PC for," James Brehm, connected devices strategist for Compass Intelligence told CNN Money. "I'm not so sure Microsoft is barking up the wrong tree by putting a PC-like experience on that form factor."
Others, however, believe that Microsoft is making a huge mistake with the all-inclusive Windows 8.
“This also brings the disk-gobbling size of a desktop OS, along with the complications of running Windows (malware and the general weirdness of any desktop OS) and of course, the battery life of a desktop OS. That’s fine. Many people want a full-featured computer in tablet form,” writes Wired Magazines’s Charlie Sorrel, “But remember that the iPad is selling in the millions precisely because it is simple, lacks a complicated file system and the like, and doesn’t require a nerd to keep it humming along. People who want all that already have a choice. It’s called a laptop.”
Will Windows 8 be a beautiful, multi-functional wonder of an operating system, as Microsoft would like us to believe? Or will it end up a bloated monstrosity that will overwhelm both devices and users? Right now it is simply too early to tell.
I think that it could be great, if it is done right and really is as flexible as the company claims. I do also see Sorrel’s view, and believe that the end result could be too much packed into a single package. We’ll need to see this OS used by real people in real situations though before we are able to make those judgments in a rational manner.
