Microsoft Previews Windows 8 for Tablets and PCs

[Vegasman]

If that was the case, we should contact highway departments worldwide and have them pull down all signs with symbols, and replace them with blocks of text.

If reading a block of text is quicker to understand correctly than a universal warning sign, we could save countless lives around the world.

oops I am sorry.. 'wink'

Interesting, but I could swear that on my drive home tonight that the signs that were trying to give me directional information were these big green rectangles with white text in them. And since apps almost always have interesting information to convey...

 

[Claefer]

Do you have any data to support the claim of this problem? This is the first I have herd that iOS was difficult to navigate due to complex colors and eye candy.

Not saying you are wrong, but I would love to read a study on this if one exists!

If that was the case, we should contact highway departments worldwide and have them pull down all signs with symbols, and replace them with blocks of text.

If reading a block of text is quicker to understand correctly than a universal warning sign, we could save countless lives around the world.

Well, I don't have any data to present but just read the early impressions of Windows 8, and even Metro when it first debuted. The reaction has been ubiquitous, even among posters in MacRumors: it's a smash hit. Everyone just loves Metro. It makes iOS look dated and chaotic. There are many iOS and Mac OS users who are envious of Windows users now.

I think this can be attributed to Metro's UI. The Tiles are flat and plainly colored, they use large typography, and they're disproportionately sized. You also have to pan around to see surrounding content. And live tiles convey information which icons don't. This makes the experience easier.

In contrast, iOS uses textures, gloss, and other eye candy effects to distinguish different parts of the UI. And icons on the Home screen are sized and spaced proportionately. Any information from apps can be seen by accessing the app or Notification Center. This makes the experience harder.

Obviously Metro is a superior UI since so many people call it fresh and original and a welcome change.

Personally, what I love about Metro is that the tiles look just like banner ads. Brilliant.

 

[linux2mac]

2012 will be the year of Windows 8.

Tim Cook will not let that happen.

 

[Vegasman]

Tim Cook will not let that happen.

Well... good luck Tim!

 

[Peace]

2012 probably will be the year of Windows 8.

Considering the Windows marketshare on PC's is still around 90% it has to be.

Time will tell whether or not Windows 8 will be a hit or miss on tablets and smartphones.

 

[Claefer]

Tim Cook will not let that happen.

That depends. If the iPad 3 is anything like the iPad 2 it will most certainly be a failure. In a world without competition the iPad would continue to sell and sell well. But after seeing this early preview of Windows 8, oh man, I almost feel sorry for Apple.

 

[happyslayer]

Just downloaded and installed it.

First thoughts:

Installed very quickly - less than 20 minutes start to finish.

Strange, very non-Windows Metro UI. And its a bit hard to use with a mouse and keyboard. Would probably work really well on a tablet.

When you go to Explorer, it looks much like Windows 7 but slightly updated.

IE is version 10 developer... looks and acts like 9 (which isn't bad)

Boots fast.

Uses my Windows Live! ID as the login... don't think I like that.

The Metro Control Panel is very strange and NOT intuitive.

The Explorer Control Panel is the same as 7.

Now... off to use it a bit.

Edit: System Specs: MSI Z68 based Mobo, Intel Core i5 2500K at 4.2 GHz, 8GB DDR3 PC1600 RAM, NVidia 560TI video card. 7200 RPM Western Digital 750 GB Hard drive.

 

[Yumunum]

Fair play, I didn't know that.. I haven't tried every Android smart phone, so perhaps I was hasty in my analogy

But the ones I HAVE tried have all lagged in some way. Hell, even some of the tablets aren't as smooth as they should be, with the hardware they run.

Don't listen to that guy you replied to. The original Nexus is nowhere as smooth as something line a Windows Phone 7 phone. Android lacks hardware acceleration, which causes even the simples things to completely suck. Try web browsing on the Nexus One, then browse the web on an iPhone. That Nexus ain't lookin' so smooth now.

I'm tired of people defending Android when it comes to smoothness and lag. Android needs work. Even the most powerful Android phones out now have lag and stuttery web browsing, ect. I've owned 4 Android phones and though I love many of the features, I'd be lying to tell anyone the experience is "buttery smooth"

 

[GoKyu]

Strange, very non-Windows Metro UI.

The Metro Control Panel is very strange and NOT intuitive.

This.

Metro UI is *very* unnatural, compared to what we're using now...I could see it maybe working on a phone, but definitely not as a desktop experience.

I don't like how when you hit the "Start" menu on the desktop how it just switches back to the Metro UI. I'm already not planning on switching back to Windows anytime soon, but Windows 8 is NOT a step forward to me.

I guess you just have to be the right type of person to like it.

Personally, I still love the CLI with Terminal.app - but I can see a LOT of people who would feel the same way about it as I feel about Metro.

 

[beangibbs]

These people still haven't learned that what is wanted and needed is not a desktop operating system running on a mobile device.
I read an article about a tablet that ran Android and Windows.
Same principle here, only, instead of booting two different operating systems on one machine, it's one operating system made to run on many types of machines.
At least it looks better than Android.
Although I do believe if that OS could be defragmented and optimized for tablets and phones the way iOS is...and integrate Google+, it would have the potential to give iOS a run for it's money.

Anyways...after that ramble-fest, I think this is just a terrible idea. It's a good concept, Microsoft is showing it has some creativity...but this seems like one of those projects where too many opinions were considered. But hey, maybe they change that by the time it releases. Who knows?
As for myself, I like my original iPad, iOS, and Mac OS over Windows any day.
The simplicity and lack of pretentious ******** are just beautiful.

 

[KillerTree]

These people still haven't learned that what is wanted and needed is not a desktop operating system running on a mobile device.
I read an article about a tablet that ran Android and Windows.
Same principle here, only, instead of booting two different operating systems on one machine, it's one operating system made to run on many types of machines.
At least it looks better than Android.
Although I do believe if that OS could be defragmented and optimized for tablets and phones the way iOS is...and integrate Google+, it would have the potential to give iOS a run for it's money.

Anyways...after that ramble-fest, I think this is just a terrible idea. It's a good concept, Microsoft is showing it has some creativity...but this seems like one of those projects where too many opinions were considered. But hey, maybe they change that by the time it releases. Who knows?
As for myself, I like my original iPad, iOS, and Mac OS over Windows any day.
The simplicity and lack of pretentious ******** are just beautiful.

How is the iPad better than this? This has true multitasking. I can browse the web while having another app window open at the same time. I can download any Windows program as well. iOS doesn't have so many things. I can't even use Ventrilo on an iPad.

 

[ModerateFKR]

Downloading a copy tonight, can't wait

Are you hoping to make some grilled cheese, or maybe heat a small house?

A tablet with a fan? Are they kidding?

I really can't imagine even sweeping the floors for a company as embarrassing as Microsoft, when it comes to exposing it's bare A55 in public this way. Forget that they're still 12 months from an OS release, this kind of stuff is just stupid in the extreme.

How many times are they planning to pre release MS tablets? What is this? Version 4 or 5?? And some of you people are actually taking this thing seriously... Sad.

 

[KillerTree]

http://gizmodo.com/5486798/research-and-development-apple-vs-microsoft-vs-sony

Microsoft has always been a black hole with R&D spending.

More R&D is better than Apple hoarding billions imo.

 

[beangibbs]

How is the iPad better than this? This has true multitasking. I can browse the web while having another app window open at the same time. I can download any Windows program as well. iOS doesn't have so many things. I can't even use Ventrilo on an iPad.

My iPad isn't necessarily better in a competition of specs. I've tried other tablets, it just suits my needs better than anything else I've tried.
I can't speak for Ventrilo, because I have no idea what it does. (I'll jump to google in a moment to find out.)
iOS 4 doesn't have so many things.
iOS 5 will address many of these issues.
The whole, "swipe between multitasking apps" thing other tablet makers tout, is coming in iOS 5. It's simply a matter of the individual needs of the consumer in a realistic setting, and the software being updated to bring new functionality in.
I don't want or need to install Windows programs on my tablet. The multi-tasking in iOS could be better, and it will be shortly.
But for now, I like it.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Yeah I dont get what happened... I'll do it for em.

Record breaking....(fist pump) profits! Larger than exxon mobil in marketcap, and marketcap is all that matters. Macs last longer than any Windows PC, so technically it is cheaper. You dont need good specs since OSX manages things so well. 1 GB or ram and a Pentium 4 would be = to a win7 machine running the fastest i7 consumer processor available.

Steve Jobs is the most brilliant man that has ever lived, he and Apple changed the world. If Apple did not exist we would have no cars, phones, toilets, computers, or food.

If Apple did not exist, we would have no fanboys to make fun of.

Edit: System Specs: MSI Z68 based Mobo, Intel Core i5 2500K at 4.2 GHz, 8GB DDR3 PC1600 RAM, NVidia 560TI video card. 7200 RPM Western Digital 750 GB Hard drive.

Nice machine. Now throw a Crucial M4 SSD in there and make it scream.

 

[Bernard SG]

If Apple did not exist, we would have no fanboys to make fun of.

Apple fanboy: Someone who likes Apple.
Microsoft fanboy: Guy carrying fan to keep Windows 8 tablet from overheating.

(J. Dalrymple)

 

[Carniphage]

In the tablet space. Microsoft will have to do a lot of work to prevent consumer confusion.

Intel Win8 tablets will be backwards compatible. But will need fans, large SSDs and therefore have shorter battery life and higher prices.

ARM tablets will have competitive battery life and pricing, but have no backwards compatibility. Users will need to repurchase apps and repurchase Office. Fully-featured desktop class software will fill a 32GB machine very quickly.

The potential is that Intel owners will be dis-satisfied with their battery life and high prices. And ARM owners will be perplexed by a Windows machine that won't their software collection.

Offering a single software solution is an incredibly ambitions and difficult thing to do. Doing difficult stuff is very cool, if you are solving an important problem. But MS are trying to solve a problem that really does not exist.

I think they would have been smarter to focus on a great tablet experience, with lots of data-compatibility with their Windows machines.

That approach would be technically easier but would avoid consumer confusion.

C.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Apple fanboy: Someone who likes Apple.
Microsoft fanboy: Guy carrying fan to keep Windows 8 tablet from overheating.

(J. Dalrymple)

But an Apple fanboy isn't someone who just likes Apple. Lots of people own Apple products and aren't fanboys. And you do realize why there is a fan on the tablet running the Beta, right? You do know it is running a core i5, correct? You also know that there will be new Ivy Bridge versions of these processors too? And let's not forget that it will run on ARM processors too, but I'm sure you forgot to mention that.

In the tablet space. Microsoft will have to do a lot of work to prevent consumer confusion.

Intel Win8 tablets will be backwards compatible. But will need fans, large SSDs and therefore have shorter battery life and higher prices.

ARM tablets will have competitive battery life and pricing, but have no backwards compatibility. Users will need to repurchase apps and repurchase Office. Fully-featured desktop class software will fill a 32GB machine very quickly.

The potential is that Intel owners will be dis-satisfied with their battery life and high prices. And ARM owners will be perplexed by a Windows machine that won't their software collection.

Offering a single software solution is an incredibly ambitions and difficult thing to do. Doing difficult stuff is very cool, if you are solving an important problem. But MS are trying to solve a problem that really does not exist.

I think they would have been smarter to focus on a great tablet experience, with lots of data-compatibility with their Windows machines.

That approach would be technically easier but would avoid consumer confusion.

C.

Wow! I'm impressed that you got so much out of the videos.

 

[mijail]

Interesting, but I could swear that on my drive home tonight that the signs that were trying to give me directional information were these big green rectangles with white text in them. And since apps almost always have interesting information to convey...

Are you comparing one-well-known-word signs (like a town name near home, for example) with random, multiword messages?

 

[840quadra]

Interesting, but I could swear that on my drive home tonight that the signs that were trying to give me directional information were these big green rectangles with white text in them. And since apps almost always have interesting information to convey...

Right, you clearly missed the point I was attempting to make.

Regardless, your example wouldn't really be classified as a Warning sign, the exact type of sign I mentioned.

There are plenty of examples of warning signs with text, but many have been phased out, with more planned. Feel free to dig through that site, you may notice how many warning signs with words only, have been replaced with pictures between 1988 and today.

Well, I don't have any data to present but just read the early impressions of Windows 8, and even Metro when it first debuted. The reaction has been ubiquitous, even among posters in MacRumors: it's a smash hit. Everyone just loves Metro. It makes iOS look dated and chaotic. There are many iOS and Mac OS users who are envious of Windows users now.

I think this can be attributed to Metro's UI. The Tiles are flat and plainly colored, they use large typography, and they're disproportionately sized. You also have to pan around to see surrounding content. And live tiles convey information which icons don't. This makes the experience easier.

In contrast, iOS uses textures, gloss, and other eye candy effects to distinguish different parts of the UI. And icons on the Home screen are sized and spaced proportionately. Any information from apps can be seen by accessing either the app or Notification Center. This makes the experience harder.

Obviously Metro is a superior UI since so many people call it fresh and original and a welcome change.

Personally, what I love about Metro is that the tiles look just like banner ads. Brilliant.

The only thing I gather from this, and many of your previous posts is that you don't understand the difference between a fact, and a personal opinion.

It is clear we can throw the world everyone out, as there have been quite a few posts in this thread alone, that indicate dislike for Windows 8, and Metro. Unless conflicting data can be brought forward to exclude, or discredit those people's opinion, it appears to be in the realm of fact that not everyone is happy with what they see.

Me personally, I do like the look of Windows 8, even think some aspects of it are really cool. But it is way too early for me to say it is superior to Android, WebOS or iOS.

http://gizmodo.com/5486798/research-and-development-apple-vs-microsoft-vs-sony

Microsoft has always been a black hole with R&D spending.

Great link. Thanks for sharing. Was an interesting read!

 

[mijail]

http://gizmodo.com/5486798/research-and-development-apple-vs-microsoft-vs-sony

Microsoft has always been a black hole with R&D spending.

I don't know if you are saying "black hole" in an appreciative way...
Apple was another "black hole" (lots spent, few results) in the 90's; it employed many luminaries from the Computing Sciences world in their Advanced Technology Group, which got disbanded when Steve Jobs went back to Apple.

That was heartbreaking, but even then he was arguably right, and in retrospective even more so. However, here's one hoping they have some interesting R&D in place.

 

[Claefer]

The only thing I gather from this, and many of your previous posts is that you don't understand the difference between a fact, and a personal opinion.

It is clear we can throw the world everyone out, as there have been quite a few posts in this thread alone, that indicate dislike for Windows 8, and Metro. Unless conflicting data can be brought forward to exclude, or discredit those people's opinion, it appears to be in the realm of fact that not everyone is happy with what they see.

Me personally, I do like the look of Windows 8, even think some aspects of it are really cool. But it is way too early for me to say it is superior to Android, WebOS or iOS.

I don't think it's necessary for me to preface my posts with "In my opinion . . ." If it seemed like I was postulating facts then I apologize. That wasn't my intent. And no need to be pedantic. I realize not every single person loves the Metro UI just like not all of Apple's products "just work." But generally speaking, the Metro UI has garnered much praise and I listed my opinion on what separates Metro UI and Springboard.

 

[saviour]

Apple fanboy: Someone who likes Apple.
Microsoft fanboy: Guy carrying fan to keep Windows 8 tablet from overheating.

(J. Dalrymple)

Personally, I've alternated between Thinkpads and Powerbooks/Macbooks for a number of years. It is very immature when people blindly make statements on anything.

Try everything, be open to everything. Up to 1 years ago, I was very happy with Apple. At this point, with the messy Lion situation and the aluminium madness, I find myself going Thinkpad again. Still no viable replacement for the Air though, the thing is unique.

I recon Apple will reach its peak in three-four years time, at which point they'll go the Microsoft way. I suppose that's gonna happen when Macs/iPhones/iPods become the "cock's" gadget.

Lots of Apple's appeal is just based on looks (likewise for Thinkpad). Being a designer, I can appreciate it (looks are extremely important in everything).

Otherwise, these days, windows or OSX, OSses are working fine fo 99% of people.

 

[organerito]

Personally, I've alternated between Thinkpads and Powerbooks/Macbooks for a number of years. It is very immature when people blindly make statements on anything.

Try everything, be open to everything. Up to 1 years ago, I was very happy with Apple. At this point, with the messy Lion situation and the aluminium madness, I find myself going Thinkpad again. Still no viable replacement for the Air though, the thing is unique.

I recon Apple will reach its peak in three-four years time, at which point they'll go the Microsoft way. I suppose that's gonna happen when Macs/iPhones/iPods become the "cock's" gadget.

Lots of Apple's appeal is just based on looks (likewise for Thinkpad). Being a designer, I can appreciate it (looks are extremely important in everything).

Otherwise, these days, windows or OSX, OSses are working fine fo 99% of people.

At last, someone who has his **** together.
I don't know why it is so difficult for some people to understand that people can like Apple products and not disdain or even like products from non-Apple companies.
Nuance=Intelligence

 

[840quadra]

I don't think it's necessary for me to preface my posts with "In my opinion . . ." If it seemed like I was postulating facts then I apologize. That wasn't my intent. And no need to be pedantic. I realize not every single person loves the Metro UI just like not all of Apple's products "just work." But generally speaking, the Metro UI has garnered much praise and I listed my opinion on what separates Metro UI and Springboard.

Thank you, and I too apologize if it felt like I was trying to attack you at a personal level. But be aware that if you don't preface posts like that, you may attract unwanted negative attention from some of our more brutally direct posters. For the most part, opinions here are respected, it is when they are perceived as false facts (Like I had), that they are debated into oblivion. Many on Macrumors live for refuting claims, and often demand links or sources to go along with them.

Personally, I am always open to learning new facts, which is one of the reasons I was asking for links (like the R&D example provided by KingCrimson ). Also to be clear, I am not a 100% iPhone or iOS only person. I may moderate on an Apple site, however I personally like to keep options open, and like new advancements in technology from all angles. I personally agree with the adage that competition breeds innovation.