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Friday, 17 August 2012
If you look at the headlines then it would seem that there's almost complete opposition to the changes that have been introduced with Microsofts new Operating System, Windows 8. I'm talking, of course, about the new touch focused Metro interface.
I've been using Windows 8 on my Asus tablet since the release of the Consumer Preview at the end of February, and I've just upgraded it to the release preview. So what do I think?
As a touch interface I think Metro is fantastic, for a start one of its features the 'live' tiles of the start screen is I think a useful feedback/notification tool for the app that it represents. The touch interface itself, is inspired, the gestures that you use to switch between apps (a flick of the finger from the left hand edge of the screen) is simple and the transitions give the appearance of being very fluid, which it is, you can use the app as soon as its taken over the screen there is, so far with apps I've used, no hanging while the app loads its configuration.
Other gestures include stopping that flick from the left hand edge of the screen and reversing it which brings up a bar showing a list of tiles representing the loaded metro apps, with a tile representing the start screen at the bottom. Once you've mastered it it's easy to switch to another app which isn't necessarily the next one in the 'list' that you'd load if you just flicked it.
Flicking from the right hand edge of the screen brings up something MS calls the charms bar which amongst other things provides 'buttons' to access configuration screens for the loaded app, for metro itself, search and the start screen. While a flick from the bottom or top edges of the screen brings up bars that control the app itself.
Once learned these gestures provide an easy way of switching between apps and interacting with the one currently loaded. But that I suppose is part of the problem, these new methods of control need to be learned and there is quite rightly some concern that new users won't be able to cope with learning new ways of using Windows.
But I think is a little insulting to those users, they were able to learn how to use the Start button and load the applications they use in the current version of Windows so I'm sure that with a little help they will soon master these new techniques. But I do think Microsoft needs to provided that help which at the moment it appears they are reluctant to do, which I find quite a strange decision.
I've also got a Motorola Android slate and I have to say that there is no comparison. Once you've used the new Metro touch interface then the android interface feels old fashioned and clunky, partly I think because it doesn't support gestures and it relies on the common metaphor using icons to represent apps and tapping them to load them. Personally, I find switching between apps to be my biggest grumble as you have to tap a 'button' in a bar at the bottom of the screen to show a bar listing the loaded apps and you can then tap the box representing the app you want. The Metro 'flick' gesture makes it a lot easier.
To be fair our Android slate is running a relatively old version of Android (2.2 or 2.3) and so perhaps in later versions these grumbles have been addressed. There is also one indisputable fact, there is no comparison between the battery life of the two slates, Android wins hands down although Windows 8 has certainly improved the battery life of the Asus.
Whilst I'm the only user of the Asus slate and we share the Android device, I've experimented handing over my slate and lettings others have a 'play'. The feedback I've had from doing this has been very positive, everyone has liked the new interface. Although it must be said I had to give everyone a little coaching to begin with so that they knew how to use the new interface, but it was quickly mastered (within a couple minutes) and those 'new' users were soon 'flying'. But then they also needed a little coaching with the Android interface as well if they hadn't used a touch screen phone before.
This post has covered the Metro/touch side of things, I'll cover the 'desktop' (equivalent to the Windows XP/7 desktop we all know & love?) which is more controversial, in another post. But I think it's fair to say that I'm enthused by Windows 8, and my personal feeling is that the reason we're hearing all about how 'terrible' the changes made are is simply because of human nature, a negative headline about something (particularly if it's an MS product) seems to attract more eyeballs than something positive. But, I suppose that's the world we live in.