I personally have been using Windows 8 off and on since the Developer Preview was released over a year ago, more frequently after I received a Samsung Series 7 Slate in February to start working on it for work. I’ve been following all of the news articles about how this is going to change everything or how it is going to completely bomb. I’ve been in multiple conversations with co-workers, and friends from previous jobs about what will be changing and if it is an improvement or degrading and I’ve decided that I will share my point of view publicly.
The Good:
- Word Processing on the Go
- Windows RT (ARM Processor Devices) has Office 2013 built in.
- Windows 8 (Intel/AMD Devices) can have any version of Microsoft Office Installed.
- I’ve heard multiple coorporations wanting to implement Tablets, however the most frequent request is word processing.
- Build in Hyper visor
- I was thrilled to see that they included Hyper-V into Windows 8.
- Gives me the ability to stay away from VMWare Player/Workstation.
- Unified System
- Home desktops, corporate desktops and tablets you can carry around with you all being the same.
- Can also use cloud services to share files across all these devices.
- Touch and Keyboard/Mouse Friendly
- Throughout the preview the mouse/keyboard usage has improved. Overall I think they have made it seem less when using either touch or keyboard/mouse combo.
- Better Performance
- As hardware improves so does software, even running the same hardware I ran with Windows 7 I have a faster boot time, and I am seeing better overall performance.
- Windows Live Login
- Manage a single login across all of your Windows 8 devices
- Manage basic settings and Metro apps across all Windows 8 devices
- Improved Interface
- My personal feeling is that the interface is aesthetically more appealing.
The Bad:
- Harder learning curve
- With the modified interface it will be much more challenging for people to learn the interface.
- Limited Applications at Launch
- Currently the amount of apps in the Windows Store is limited but growing.
- Price
- Some of the hardware I believe could be priced a little bit lower.
- I do want to clarify the Microsoft Surface is competitively priced when comparing to an iPad.
Will it Succeed:
Overall with the amount of experience I have with Windows 8 I strongly believe that this operating system and tablet devices have the ability to succeed. I do see this being highly usable in enterprise environments using tablet devices. I’ve spent a couple days working purely using a tablet device and docking it at work. My main concern on if this will succeed or not will come down to the ability to properly train everyone on the new operating system and how to use it.
Some final notes I have on the up coming operating system and hardware that is coming out is to keep an open mind to using an entirely new interface, make sure you dedicate time into learning it and you will realize that it is a move in the proper direction.
