Over the last few months, a compelling case has been made for Microsoft's doe-eyed championing of touchscreen tablets and apparent abandonment of the desktop. Windows 8's primary interface, with liberal use of horizontal scrolling and the same big, chunky live tiles that adorn Windows Phone 7, is undeniably touch-centric. Couple this with finicky multitasking, extensive focus on ARM, a massive push to get developers on board with Metro apps, and scant few updates to the Desktop, and it's easy to see how tech pundits are decrying the death of Windows and that Linux is the last redoubt for desktop PC users.
Before we declare Windows 8 a tablet OS, though, let's take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Windows 8 will be a first-class tablet OS with tons of apps and excellent performance that hopefully competes with the Apple iPad in the high-end ARM market, and yet also brings cheap ARM tablets to the masses. Furthermore, especially in the high-powered x86 arena, Windows 8 could really change the landscape of mobile computing; for the first time, especially if we throw docking stations into the mix, we will have a powerful, ultraportable computer that's both capable of tablet- and smartphone-like tasks on the move, and playing Crysis 3 when we're at home.
Just so we're clear, this is awesome news. Ultrabooks might be cool, but let's face it, they're just a marketing gimmick to keep the desktop PC paradigm going. Assuming this shift to tablet computing isn't merely a freak occurrence fueled by Apple zealotry, the launch of Windows 8 tablets will represent the mightiest sea change in computing since the IBM PC launched in 1981.
OK, with that out of the way, let's tackle the other side of the equation: desktop PCs. Just because Windows 8 is a good tablet OS does not make it a poor desktop OS. This is faulty logic, and exactly the kind of kneejerk reaction that many power users (including myself) have fallen prey to. When you get right down to it, the only change that could possibly be construed as "bad" is the introduction of the Start Screen. Yes, some cosmetic bits have changed -- and yes, the Windows orb has disappeared -- but really, despite the visual differences, Windows 8 will be remarkably similar to Windows 7, and I hope we can all agree that Windows 7 is one of the best operating systems out there.
"But the Start Screen is so different!" I hear you cry. Yes, it looks different, but trust me, your behavior will be almost entirely unchanged. You can still hit the Windows key on your keyboard and start typing to launch a program or applet. You still have access to Windows Key-R if you prefer the Run dialog. You can still right click tiles to access Run as Administrator, or pin to the taskbar. Which reminds me: How often do you use the Start screen in Windows 7, anyway? Microsoft's extensive research shows that 85% of users have three or more items pinned to the Windows 7 taskbar, while 40% of users have no items pinned to the Start Menu. Really, over the next few days, try to make a note of every time you use the Start Menu; if you regularly open it for a specific app, pin it to your taskbar. After a week, let me know how often you use that age-old Windows orb.
If anything, we should view the Start Screen as an improvement on the Start Menu. Icons can be dragged around and grouped, and live tiles are a much-needed overhaul to the system tray, an element that has gone virtually unchanged since Windows 95. The Start Menu never keyboard shortcuts, either; but the Start Screen has tons! You can search directly for files or settings, or hop between groups, all with the keyboard. It goes without saying, but by virtue of being full-screen, the Start Screen can obviously accommodate a lot more icons than the Start Menu, too.
The only real complaint is the perception that using the Start Screen is somehow slower. Yes, the transition is marginally slower, but that's the kind of thing that Microsoft will probably add a config option for. Furthermore, Microsoft's research shows that the Start Screen actually requires less mouse movement -- and of course, being a grid, you can navigate around in two dimensions with the keyboard, rather than scrolling through a huge list.
There are a handful of corollary benefits from Windows 8 becoming a tablet OS, too. To cater for mobile users, boot and return-from-sleep times have been improved dramatically. The install process is easier and faster. To improve battery life, the RAM footprint is smaller, and the kernel and other system processes have been made more efficient, but of course this will also make the desktop experience faster too.
The sad truth is, the noisiest naysaying pundits and personalities are also power users who should know that almost everything in Windows 8 will be alterable with third-party utilities anyway. Microsoft has already said that the maligned ribbon menu in Windows 8 Explorer will be completely at the whim of third-party utilities, and historically these utilities have had access to just about every Windows UI element. We've already seen an app that recreates the Windows orb and Start menu, and it won't be long until someone works out how to disable the Start Screen. Heck, we wouldn't be surprised if the final retail version of Windows 8 has a config setting for it.
Windows 8, then, is different. Once you get past the pungent-smelling fear of change, Windows 8 isn't actually worse -- and admittedly isn't much better than Windows 7 -- but it is different, and that's a problem for some.
Now read: Matthew Murray's completely dissenting point of view
