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Windows has had an interesting path to where they are today. This is an operating system that has been around a long time, in computer and technology age - Windows has got to be really, really old. From my first experience with Windows being 3.1, to the failures of Vista and ME, the operating system that inundates many of our lives took a long time to turn the corner into a vibrant, easy to use and user friendly operating system. With Windows 7 we saw glimpses of what this OS would become; with Windows 8 we have a better picture of an operating system that Microsoft is banking on to bring them closer to dominating all markets.
According to NetMarketShare.com Windows still dominates the PC market, but the reverse is true in the Mobile/Tablet market, which is dominated by iOS. So what does Microsoft do? They come out with a Windows operating system that on a laptop or PC is really a bit over the top, but on a tablet is as slick and user friendly as iOS. Yet, the mobile market still eludes them, for reasons not related to the operating system. Unless they shoot themselves in the foot, Apple will dominate the mobile market for the foreseeable future. That doesn't mean that Microsoft will drop out of contention like HP. Unlike HP, Microsoft has the means to continue to compete, if for no other reason than to advance their own technology.
I know this isn't going to be the most popular statement especially among Mac OS lovers, but Microsoft - love or hate them - is going to be the operating system of the cool Minority Report type future we imagine. Already you can use your hands, without magic gloves, to navigate the Xbox menu through the Kinect. It's only a matter of time before we shed television remotes for movement and voice controls as well, same for computers. In this, as we are slowly moving away from traditional inputs, Microsoft appears to be the company with the means, the motive and the financial backing to make this happen.
In full disclosure, I'm biased. That bias has nothing to do with the Lenovo Ideapad Yoga Microsoft lent me to review Windows 8 as part of their Windows Champions program. Rather, it has to do with history. I've used Windows since its inception. I'm a PC. I've built my own computers since I was a young teen. While I've dabbled with Linux and used iOS from time to time at various stages in my career, I've mostly used and installed Windows. (Though I did skip the aforementioned Vista and ME, going straight from XP to Windows 7.) When I heard Windows 8 was on the horizon, I thought to myself "already?" After reviewing Windows 7, I thought it would be a while before I'd be doing it again. (A quick note about that previous article, it seemed that my subtle sarcasm about the whole "my idea" thing missed the mark. I'll try to be clearer in the future when skewering advertising slogans.)
Windows 8 advertising has been everywhere, and with good reason. Microsoft has entered the tablet market with the Surface, with hip and cool advertising appealing to (hopefully in their minds) every generation. Getting the word out won't be enough though, and the advertising has crossed from being fun and original to annoying and repetitive - Microsoft showing their age in the disconnect between advertising and audience. The problem isn't that Windows 8 and the Surface aren't competitive products, the problem is that they weren't first. Does that mean they won't capture some of the market share? Well, those are two different issues. As discussed in the stats above, the two different markets (PC and mobile) will see two different results. So let's go back to the thing tying them together, Windows 8.
The first thing I noticed about Windows 8 is the start screen. Gone is the start button in the left corner, hell, gone is the left corner. Instead the screen displays all the default start tiles, which I quickly rearranged and changed - first with the mouse, then with my finger. The desktop is one of the tiles, so I selected that and was taken to a desktop that was very similar to Windows 7, but had a lighter feel to it. A swipe or roll over to the sides of the screen presented options to quickly switch between programs, global search or go back to the start screen - which is the quickest way to open programs.
All the programs are displayed as app icons on a secondary screen (swipe bottom, select all apps). The start screen contains your favorites. Of course, if your favorites are desktop items such as Excel or Tweetdeck, it shoots you back to the desktop and opens items. The traditional Microsoft products work a bit different in this sense, as while you can use Excel with your finger, you won't want to. The opposite is true for most of the apps designed for a tablet interface, as using a mouse rather than your finger seems slow.
So if you have Windows 8 on a regular PC, you really won't be impacted by the touch screen changes and apps - other than finding them a bit obtrusive at first, then realizing that getting to a program as you would have before takes the same amount of clicks. The snap feature has been upgraded a bit too, with just a swipe you can switch programs or snap three on the screen at once. Moving between programs is a breeze as well, especially if you have a touch screen monitor, which I don't have. Regardless, even with a mouse ease of use seems enhanced.
As for apps, picture this; you are going to a Rolling Stones show. You've purchased the tickets on a whim, thinking that the old guys still have the stuff. The arena is packed to the brim, everyone else thinking the exact same thing. Finally, after a few hours of waiting, a roadie walks out on stage, and hangs Mick Jagger's shirt on the mic stand, then walks off. The crowd is silent and confused.
That's how the app store feels for Windows 8. The app store is severely lacking. It's almost as bad as the now defunct WebOS store. There are a ton of apps there, but for the tablet market I can see how it falls short because of the quality and quantity. For the PC or Laptop, this doesn't really matter much because you actually use those things for work, not just for entertainment. For a tablet, this could be devastating. The good news is that unlike HP, Microsoft isn't going anywhere and will pay whatever it takes to pull their store out of second rate territory. But they better do it quick, no one wants to go holiday shopping in the discount aisle at the Dollar Tree.
Also, I should note that from the day I got Windows 8 to the day I wrote this, they added a bunch of premier apps, including an ESPN app, so they are getting there. Just need to get there faster.
Windows 8 is an operating system, and it is hard to review an operating system without listing technical details side by side. When it comes down to it, it really doesn't matter as the bulk of PC business is being done with Windows in the background. The Apple contingent will stand by their OS and I don't blame them, iOS is beautiful on a tablet, but so is Windows 8. The connection, mentally, isn't there yet for Apple fans to believe that, and again - I completely understand. I was skeptical at first as well. While I don't think that Windows will suddenly dominate the tablet market, I do think that having the dual functionality will help advance hardware innovation - like the Lenovo Ideapad - so that more devices are using both interfaces.
Regardless of how you view Microsoft in the tablet market, this kind of constant pushing by Microsoft, Google, and so on into the tablet market keeps the leading tablet - Apple - leading. If there was no competition in the market, Apple might not strive to be better. This is what plagued Microsoft for years. It seemed they weren't really moving forward, just tweaking here and there based on the technology available. Now it feels like they are finally taking a page from Apple's playbook (there, I said it) and mixing innovation with creativity to bring products to the market that are actually engaging, new and functionally fresh.
