How Microsoft thinks about innovation these days (in five slides)

[windude99]

I remember some of the first reviews and/or thoughts about Windows 8, most of them being hopeful towards Metro as a much more complete UI in Windows 8. I expected to be able to use Windows 8 with its MetroUI for everything, without even having to switch to the desktop UI... Something like Gnome VS. KDE in Linux, just choose one at login and enjoy.

So I can understand what you're saying, because this somewhat feels like Vista VS. 7 all over again. Vista is a beautiful, sugar candy with cherry on top product, clean, polished, feature-rich and delightful to the eye, but its performance and stability was not good enough - Windows 7, on the other hand, works beautifully but looks ugly as hell, and has nothing near Vista's appeal - it's missing screensavers, Ultimate Extras, that sugar candy glossiness that Aero is supposed to be, instead looking flat and uninteresting... In my eyes both these products are, in their own ways, incomplete.

So now we have MetroUI VS. a redesigned desktop UI, both of with cannot possibly belong together, have completely different environments and looks, neither of which actually look good. The ribbon UI within Explorer is much too bulky to actually be useful, and with the details pane gone, browsing files for me is a small little nightmare. On the other hand, MetroUI is, again, flat, square, and uninteresting despite it's features (some of which are pretty cool).

On Windows 7 I could at least install third-party themes to make it look more decent and appealing to the eye, but double that effort for Windows 8 (assuming there will be a way to more or less heavily tweak the MetroUI interface at all)? No, thank you.

I find that Windows 7 and Vista both look very good. I wouldn't say that Windows 7 or Vista looks better than the other one, but there are htings that i like about each OS that are better than the other one. For example, why did Microsoft go with some light blue and plantish logon background instead of the sleek and business logon wallpaper of Vista. Also, the left menu bar in control panel is now light blue, instead of the green and dark blue in Vista. Also, the toolbar at the top of Windows Explorer doesn't look nearly as cool as Vista's. Now, the taskbar is way better on Windows 7 and the start menu doesn't lag with highlight newly installed programs enabled. I like the show desktop button in the bottom right. Also, Aero Snap is so useful and I wish that Vista and XP had it.

 

[lehnerus2000]

Modifying

Innovation...no, Apple just "says" they innovate, ,most of what they have was um borrowed from an earlier idea innovated at another company.

the innovation is in the marketing

I don't like Apple, but they have perfected the process of modifying various concepts and implementing them in such a way, that consumers feel comfortable using them.

It reminds me of "Japan vs the rest of the World" in the 80s.

As it stands, I will continue to sell my software for the Windows platform Xp and 7 but not 8. I am switching as soon as possible to the Apple platform. At least they have the wisdom not to try grafting an elephant's trunk onto the chest of a monkey.

I've said it before, software developers should all band together and demand payments from MS (to produce software for W8 and Metro).

No software = no W8

 

[Gornot]

Also, Aero Snap is so useful and I wish that Vista and XP had it.

There are some apps that do this, though I didn't try any of them.