By Amit Uppal

 

Windows 8 consumer preview was recently launched during mobile world Barcelona and has quickly become a sort of favorite with reviewers and testers, but will it be another Windows 7 mobile for Microsoft?  Microsoft has been seen by many as a fading brand thanks to the blockbuster reception of Apple’s i devices and also to some extent Google Android. While Microsoft is viewed as stuck in the past where the desktop PC was the central hub.

 

Windows 8 is not like previous versions of Windows, it was built from the ground up and is designed to be both tablet friendly and better at managing the vast audience built up by Microsoft. It is a make or break product for the rest of the PC industry with a worldwide slump in PCs and major trends pointing to the end of the desktop and the rise of the Tablet.

 

First impressions

 

 

Windows 8 certainly does seem snappy especially when using it for the first time. What hits you is the new interface called Metro.  Like the more geeky Linux Windows 8 seems to give too many different ways to use your computer, which can be confusing for first time users.  Metro feels like a scaled up version of windows mobile 7 but it is also very difficult to manage with multiple programs; iTunes and Internet Explorer 9 seem to be behave weirdly as well with popup windows or system crashes occurring almost every three hours.  However the system itself behaves well and its good that they kept the same specification of Windows 7 and Vista as it means it is easier to upgrade.

 

As a Linux user, the secure boot feature is scary as it means new limitations for people and what they can install on the PC. On the whole it is likely to reduce the amount of viruses and other threats.  For ordinary people secure boot only becomes important once you buy a new PC already with it installed I liked the way that it now starts in 10 secs when on sleep mode or using a PC with SSD.  Other features include windows app store exactly the same as the Mac app store, able to run current

 

 

Windows 8 is a massive overhaul of everything windows but the initial reaction is … it’s too little too late. Much of the lessons made on Windows Vista should have been implemented in Windows 7, also the need to use Ribbon on major features such as the Windows Explorer and the windows to go features are in my opinion too overdue and also not well tested. Another reason is that borrowing from other franchises and such as mobile 7 really shows no one really knows what to do with Windows. Should Microsoft simply give up on it and simply be a Apps vendor where its Office line holds the power?  Windows 8 is a good product but with many questions that are not fully answered with this release.

 

What do you think of the Windows 8 platform? Let us know by contacting us at Twitter.