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Windows 8 Consumer Preview released.

windows.microsoft.com

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Re: Windows 8 Consumer Preview released.

#11

Post by CurtHagenlocher »

podperson wrote: post #9
ChrisNorstrom wrote: post #3

Competition from Apple and Linux (but mostly Apple) is the best thing to happen to Microsoft in a long time. No, the UI isn't perfect yet, the design decisions (for this beta) not always logical, but Windows is finally going somewhere amazing after many years of going no where. Because some of Microsoft's best products were great but went no where. Take the Zune and Windows Phone 7. People who own them love them, esp…

I don't think the problem was the zune itself but the zune ecosystem. Apple more than any competitor understood this. If all you want is a player for your existing music library, an iPod offers little advantage over any other decent music player, and the zune UI was very polished. That said, the first thing that struck me about Windows 8 is that there's still a hard line between the 32- and 64-bit versions, which poi…

There are still plenty of people with hardware that has less than 4 GB of RAM. For those people, there's not generally an advantage in running a 64-bit OS if all their applications are available in 32-bit versions.

Re: Windows 8 Consumer Preview released.

#13

Post by untog »

ChrisNorstrom wrote: post #3

Competition from Apple and Linux (but mostly Apple) is the best thing to happen to Microsoft in a long time. No, the UI isn't perfect yet, the design decisions (for this beta) not always logical, but Windows is finally going somewhere amazing after many years of going no where. Because some of Microsoft's best products were great but went no where. Take the Zune and Windows Phone 7. People who own them love them, esp…

Because they're Microsoft products and the stigma around them is that MS products have no future and become abandoned quickly or go nowhere fast.

I really, really don't believe that. What consumer-facing product was abandoned quickly in the Zune era? The Kin was an unmitigated disaster, sure, but when people think of MS they think of Windows, Office and (perhaps) Xbox- none of which have been abandoned.

Re: Windows 8 Consumer Preview released.

#15

Post by udp »

CurtHagenlocher wrote: post #11
podperson wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think the problem was the zune itself but the zune ecosystem. Apple more than any competitor understood this. If all you want is a player for your existing music library, an iPod offers little advantage over any other decent music player, and the zune UI was very polished. That said, the first thing that struck me about Windows 8 is that there's still a hard line between the 32- and 64-bit versions, which poi…

There are still plenty of people with hardware that has less than 4 GB of RAM. For those people, there's not generally an advantage in running a 64-bit OS if all their applications are available in 32-bit versions.

Aren't 64-bit processors a little more efficient at running a 64-bit operating system?

Re: Windows 8 Consumer Preview released.

#16

Post by ebbv »

ChrisNorstrom wrote: post #3

Competition from Apple and Linux (but mostly Apple) is the best thing to happen to Microsoft in a long time. No, the UI isn't perfect yet, the design decisions (for this beta) not always logical, but Windows is finally going somewhere amazing after many years of going no where. Because some of Microsoft's best products were great but went no where. Take the Zune and Windows Phone 7. People who own them love them, esp…

Your theory is ridiculous. The Xbox 360 was a major success.

The Zune failed because people didn't like it. Not because it's a Microsoft product. Same goes for Windows Phone 7, it is failing because people don't like it.

Now whether it's a better product or not is a subjective debate that isn't worth having, IMHO (better for whom?) But to say that they failed because of the Microsoft stigma is absurd.

Re: Windows 8 Consumer Preview released.

#17

Post by nextparadigms »

Engadget's conclusion:

"We really liked Windows 7 when it launched. It felt like a big step forward in the short time that had passed since Vista. Now, as we creep closer to a likely release near the end of this year, we can't shake a sense of doubt. Windows 8 still feels like two very different operating systems trying to be one. The potential is hugely alluring -- a single OS to rule both the tablet and the desktop -- and with each subsequent version we keep hoping this will be the one that ties it all together. Sadly, as of the Consumer Preview, we're still seeing a lot of loose threads.

As it stands, Windows 8 is a considerably better tablet operating system than any previous version has managed to be. However, it's still a clumsier desktop OS than Windows 7. That's a problem Microsoft must fix before release."

I feel the same way. By trying to please everyone, Microsoft will please no one, and will frustrate 95% of the Windows users out there who will be very confused not just by the tile interface, who is much different than what they are used to, but also by the disconnect between these two interfaces.

Microsoft is trying to win the few who want a tablet interface at the expense of the vast majority who want a PC, mouse-oriented interface for their...PC's and laptops.

Re: Windows 8 Consumer Preview released.

#19

Post by nextparadigms »

melling wrote: post #12

How is IE10? It sounds like it's going to be competitive with Chrome in both HTML5 compatibility and performance. http://html5test.com Is Microsoft still doing the silent update for IE?

Will Chrome or Firefox even work in the "tile interface"? My guess is it won't.

Re: Windows 8 Consumer Preview released.

#20

Post by darrenkopp »

ebbv wrote: post #16
ChrisNorstrom wrote: post #3

Competition from Apple and Linux (but mostly Apple) is the best thing to happen to Microsoft in a long time. No, the UI isn't perfect yet, the design decisions (for this beta) not always logical, but Windows is finally going somewhere amazing after many years of going no where. Because some of Microsoft's best products were great but went no where. Take the Zune and Windows Phone 7. People who own them love them, esp…

Your theory is ridiculous. The Xbox 360 was a major success. The Zune failed because people didn't like it. Not because it's a Microsoft product. Same goes for Windows Phone 7, it is failing because people don't like it. Now whether it's a better product or not is a subjective debate that isn't worth having, IMHO (better for whom?) But to say that they failed because of the Microsoft stigma is absurd.

I love how people like to sit in a tree and talk about how other people think. Did you own a Zune and not like it? If not, then don't say "the Zune failed because people didn't like it" because as a Zune and iPod user who loves the Zune and hates the iPod, you don't know what you are talking about.
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