Microsoft, Windows 8, Learning Curves, Live Tiles, Charm Bar, Design Disaster

Yes, Microsoft is doing some things right--SkyDrive, Outlook.com, and IE10, just to mention three--but what a disappointment and disaster Windows 8 has been--because of it I won't be buying any Windows phone or tablet, for sure, and I have no confidence that Blue will be enough to fix the Windows 8 mess--  

Microsoft: The Windows 8 learning curve is 'real and needs to be addressed' | ZDNet: " . . . Usability experts were quick to criticize Windows 8, in particular the new user interface changes. Jakob Nielsen, who holds a PhD in human-computer interaction, called the operating system "disappointing" for "both novice and power users", and "a monster that terrorizes poor office workers and strangles their productivity". Raluca Budiu, a user experience specialist with the Nielsen Norman Group, called the new Windows 8 user interface "confusing" and said that it imposed "a cognitive burden" on the users. . . Back in June of 2012, I called Windows 8 a "design disaster", and my opinion hasn't changed since. . . the last thing I want is for my PC to force me into playing "hunt the app" every time I want to get something done. . ."

What would I (and most "office workers") like? A successor to Windows 7 for the PC (keyboard, mouse, non-touch screen) with start button and start menu.  And a way to turn off or uninstall the Metro, charms bar, live tiles, apps, etc.

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Windows 8 A Major Step Backwards on the Desktop

Windows 8 Almost Not Terrible (video) - You have to do more work to get the same results you would have gotten with Windows 7. In fact, when you search for say, printers, Windows 7 would suggest several things and it would categorize them. This forces you to look through each category. It's a major step backwards.

The 4 UX Principles Microsoft Forgot That Doomed Windows 8 - The Usabilla Blog: "Jakob Nielsen wrote an article titled, “Windows 8 – Disappoining Usability for Both Novice and Power Users” which he summarized thusly: “Hidden features, reduced discoverability, cognitive overhead from dual environments, and reduced power from a single-window UI and low information density. Too bad.”"

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90 percent of enterprises will bypass Windows 8 Through 2015

As I've said before, Microsoft's Windows 8 is a massive Microsoft fail as an OS for desktops or notebook computers--

Handicapping 2013 technology predictions | ZDNet: ". . . .  a look at the 2013 predictions via Gartner analyst Daryl Plummer with a bit of a reality check. Through 2015, 90 percent of enterprises will bypass broad Windows 8 deployments. The gist is that enterprises will sit on the Windows 8 sidelines. . . ."

Why would anyone in his or her right mind, deploy Windows 8 in business for use as PC operating system?

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Windows 8 Is a Massive Microsoft Fail

Why Windows 8 will fail as a desktop OS--gorilla arm, finger grease, and the dumbed-down OS--

Why Touch Screens Will Not Take Over: Scientific American: ". . . the tingling ache that came from extending my right arm to manipulate that screen for hours, an affliction that has earned the nickname of gorilla arm. Some experts say gorilla arm is what killed touch computing during its first wave in the early 1980s. (Another problem is finger grease. You can clean a phone's screen by wiping it on your jeans, but that's not as convenient with a 32-inch monitor.) . . . Windows 8 is actually two operating systems in one. . . the underlying Windows desktop has the too-small-targets problem. The angle and distance of PC screens are tougher nuts to crack. Microsoft is betting that Windows 8 will be so attractive that we won't mind touching our PC screens, at least until the PC concept fades away entirely. Yet although PC sales have slowed, they won't be zero any time soon. My belief is that touch screens make sense on mobile computers but not on stationary ones. Microsoft is making a gigantic bet that I'm wrong."

Microsoft is losing that bet, big time.

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Way to Go Microsoft! -- Windows 8 Adoption Rate Trailing Vista

Remember the Microsoft disaster known as "Vista"? Well it looks like the geniuses in Redmond have done it again--

Is Windows 8 Adoption Rate Really Trailing Vista's? | News & Opinion | PCMag.com: "Data compiled by Web analytics firm Net Applications put Windows 8's online usage share at just under 1.6 percent through Dec. 22 as measured in relation to all desktop and laptop PC operating systems. Microsoft made its next-gen PC and tablet platform available on Oct. 26. Computerworld's Gregg Keizer tabbed back through the data to find that Vista, after the same period of time following its 2007 release, had shown up on 2.2 percent of all Windows systems (you can access the same data by clicking back through the Net Application report.)"

Well I guess that is what happens when you decide to "dumb down" your OS to be mobile-ready (meaning built for smartphones and tablets)--and completely abandon your installed base of PC and notebook (non-touchscreen) users! Note to Redmond: I (and a lot of other PC users) do not need a touchscreen PC or notebook device--in fact, a touchscreen slows me down.

Many PC users are migrating to Apple, and a growing minority to Google Chromebooks. Here's my migration path history (1995 to present): Windows 95 - Windows 98 - Windows 2000 - Windows XP - Windows 7. Where from here (once my last Windows 7 notebook wears out)? I guess Google Chrome/Android since Microsoft has reportedly decided to change their future business model to primarily "subscriptions" for touchscreen devices. I need a keyboard and mouse for speedy, accurate content creation. Chromebooks and Android tablets support mouse devices (iPads do not). I use Word almost daily, but I can change (Google Docs anyone?). How about you?

Prediction for 2013: Apple and Google continue their global OS dominance in both smartphone and tablet devices, and increase their encroachment into the desktop/notebook sector previously dominated by Microsoft. It appears Microsoft is destined to be a distant third-place in the global OS competition for computing devices (smartphones, tablets, desktops, notebooks).

Long story short: Microsoft abandons its users, and its users in turn, abandon Microsoft.

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Final Caveat on Windows 8

Caveat Emptor--

Wolverton: Windows 8's awkward interface makes it one for PC users to avoid - SiliconValley.com: "As a PC user, I hate -- a word I use sparingly -- the new interface that is the centerpiece of Windows 8. With the new version of its flagship operating system, due out Friday, Microsoft has replaced its tried-and-true desktop interface with what it called until recently the Metro interface. Instead of a start button, taskbar and windows filled with applications and folders, Metro features a screen full of program "tiles" and applications that run full-screen. While I think this interface has a lot of promise for tablets, on a traditional desktop or laptop computer, or even on a newer notebook sporting a touch screen, it's clunky and unintuitive. Metro often feels like a work in progress, because seemingly obvious features are unavailable. And worst of all, Metro makes it much harder than before to do everyday tasks and real work on your computer. Take the idea of viewing multiple applications on your screen, a core feature of Windows since even before Windows 95. You can't do it in the Metro interface."

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Why my iPad can't replace my laptop

Also why Microsoft is off-track with Windows 8--

Why my iPad can't replace my laptop: It's the trackpad | iPad Atlas - CNET Reviews: "Adding a keyboard to an iPad, like the Logitech/Zagg Keyboard Case for iPad 2, solves the problem of text entry. That's great for when you have to write a long essay, or are working on a chunk of your Great American Novel, or just want to jot down some notes. It's not so great when you have to edit a document, or create a blog post with embedded links, or do simultaneous Web research and writing. To do anything more than text entry and a few other commands, you'll have to reach up and touch the iPad's screen, which isn't exactly ergonomic or time-efficient when you have the iPad propped up and a keyboard attached. In fact, it's downright awkward. This is why touch-screen laptops haven't taken off. No one wants to touch a screen while typing on a keyboard. I want a trackpad when I work, or even a mouse. Touching the screen makes no sense in "laptop" mode. I'd rather use the iPad as a straight-up tablet, which brings me back full circle and defeats the purpose of the keyboard."

Now somebody is going to make an OS where you can disable "touch" and use a tablet with a keyboard and mouse--but we're not there yet.

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Windows 8 does not make sense on business desktops

Windows 8 redux--

Does Windows 8 make sense on business desktops? TechRepublic: "“The new UI would inhibit users who are used to the traditional UI. I believe businesses will turn their backs on Windows 8 unless major changes are made. Users do not want a tablet experience when working on a desktop or laptop computer.”"

What is it about the above that Microsoft doesn't get?

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Early look at Windows 8 baffles consumers

I've been warning my readers all week, so here's my final note:

Early look at Windows 8 baffles consumers: "Microsoft is making a radical break with the past to stay relevant in a world where smartphones and tablets have eroded the three-decade dominance of the personal computer. Windows 8 is supposed to tie together Microsoft's PC, tablet and phone software with one look. But judging by the reactions of some people who have tried the PC version, it's a move that risks confusing and alienating customers. Tony Roos, an American missionary in Paris, installed a free preview version of Windows 8 on his aging laptop to see if Microsoft's new operating system would make the PC faster and more responsive. It didn't, he said, and he quickly learned that working with the new software requires tossing out a lot of what he knows about Windows. "It was very difficult to get used to," he said. "I have an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old, and they never got used to it. They were like, 'We're just going to use Mom's computer.'""

Windows 8? Caveat Emptor!

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Windows 8 interface confusing on the desktop

If you use a PC (desktop or notebook), think twice before you move to Windows 8--

Daily Report: Windows Makeover May Cause Head-Scratching - NYTimes.com: "Little about the new Windows will look familiar to those who have used older versions. The Start screen, a kind of main menu, is dominated by a colorful grid of rectangles and squares that users can tap with a finger or click with a mouse to start applications. Many of these so-called live tiles constantly flicker with new information piped in from the Internet, like news headlines and Facebook photos. What is harder to find are many of the conventions that have been a part of PCs since most people began using them, like the strip of icons at the bottom of the screen for jumping between applications."

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