Can Microsoft keep desktop users happy with Windows 8
In demonstrations
this week, Windows 8 is shown running legacy applications like Office
side-by-side with the hip new OS. But the version of Windows 8 that runs
on the ARM processor won't have legacy support. That creates an OS
quandary.
While Microsoft says Windows 8 is backward-compatible, if I want to
take advantage of the most revolutionary features -- namely touch and
tablet functionality -- I'll need all new hardware and probably
software, too. So where does that leave Windows users who want all the
old desktop-oriented bells and whistles that shipped with Windows 7 with
the new tablet-oriented Windows 8 OS?
Do we need Windows touchscreens everywhere?
So Windows wants a piece of the tablet pie, I get that. But I've
rarely had any desire to reach over this keyboard and swipe at my
screen, be it on a laptop or desktop or even a netbook. I especially
don't plan on running out to buy a new system just to have touch
functionality.
So, Microsoft's touch revolution is really about tablets, but the
company's existing touch-enabled OS, Windows Phone, has a tiny sliver of
the market it operates in, which begs the question: Do many people
really want to reach out and touch Windows or a touch-enabled version of
Word or Excel?
Will all ARM devices have enough power?
Windows 8 looked crisp and clean when running on a sampling of
existing laptops and a few tablets, but inevitably some budget
ARM-powered systems will emerge. Will they be able to handle all of
Windows 8's new functionality? Or will swift switching and rapid
refreshing give way to lag, bog downs, and a Windows 8 blue screen of
death?
Just how open will it be?
Microsoft is pushing the fact that Windows 8 is based on HTML5 and
the other languages that underlie the Web. This means developers can hit
the ground running on day one to develop Web apps for Windows 8. But
this is a radical shift from Redmond's typical modus operandi
(software control freak) and I'm left wondering just how open the
company is ready and willing to be. Developers will likely have the
same suspicions and may hit the ground at more of a cautious meander
than the running pace Microsoft needs to catch up to the coding
free-for-all happening in places like the Android Market.
What about Windows Live
Could this suite of apps, which Microsoft has been honing for years
now, be one of the casualties of the move to an HTML5-centric OS? Of
course, the company won't kill Hotmail or Messenger, but will they
undergo a radical change if the company moves away from .NET,
Silverlight, and other Microsoft staples? Or is this RIP Windows Live
Movie Maker?
It's important to point out that Microsoft still has several months
to answer these questions, and a lot could still change, especially
with the release of Mac OS X Lion, due this summer, and Microsoft's
expected reaction. Whatever happens, it's good to see Microsoft taking
some big risks and steps forward. We shall see if it all pans out.
By (Pcworld.com)