Up until last year every computer in my house was a Windows PC. And each time Windows re-invented itself I was the first to rush out, pre-order and install the newest OS available.
Now that I’m on a Mac, I am less interested in what’s new at Microsoft – but still purchased Windows 8 for both my wife and kids computers.
The biggest perk? It actually runs on older hardware and makes your computer feel faster.
The biggest negatives? The device driver dilemma. Cameras, trackpads, and fingerprint readers stop working. And some don’t even have Win8 drivers available.
But that’s probably not the reason Windows 8 isn’t flying off shelves. My guess is that people just aren’t impressed.
Call it the “Bait and Switch” or “Smoke and Mirrors.” But it is what it is. Windows 8 simply isn’t “all” new.
If I could summarize it very poorly I would say,
Windows 8 is nothing more than Windows 7 with a metro overlay to make it look flashy and work better on a tablet . . .
Oversimplification I know – but to be honest – that’s exactly how I felt about the UI as a first time user. One minute I’m playing in this nice new metro environment, and the next I’m back on my old desktop using Windows the way I’ve always used it.
So why the half-hearted attempt at being cool? No clue.
I actually loved the look/feel of my old Zune OS. And the Windows Phone 8 OS seems to be fairly well thought out too. I haven’t played with a Microsoft Surface tablet – but I’m guessing it is pretty sweet if it’s like the mobile OS only bigger.
But why just go halfway on the desktop version?
It would be like Apple giving you a beautiful splash screen on the iPhone 5 – then when you click an “Enter” button you see rows and columns of icons.
