Sounds like they're gonna try and make up their money with DLC 'upgrades', so an actual full-fledge version of Windows that includes everything 7, Vista, XP, and before had will probably end up costing about the same. Damnit Microsoft, creatively thinking outside the box and trying to change its whole formula has never been a strongpoint of the company, but it still tries.
Well they removed Media Center which is now a separate purchase. They eliminated dvd playback support in WMP but will now likely offer some 3rd party ware deals at the Metro Apps page for dvd playback.
With past versions going back to the Legacy days not just to XP you saw the 95 and 95 with OSR2 service release for 32bit support as well as a 95PLUS! edition followed by the 98, 98SE, 98PLUS! ME was ME while 2000 had a Pro version, XP Home, Pro, Pro x64, and then XP MCE. Vista and 7 each see the corporate flavor at the top of the food chain down to Ultimate, Business(Vista) or Pro(7), and Home Premium besides the lesser Basic or Starter editions.
In each version one edition above the first would feature more option included while now you will need to purchase separately. 8 will be known as the stripped down touchscreen OS for Tablet PC. Unfortunately this is the bad taste 8 leaves in your mouth after a good look at it.
I find it Funny
Asked the wife if she wanted me to Upgrade to 8 on her laptop since they offered it to us for 13.99 some cheap ole price when i told her how it would function she looked at me like it was the dumbest thing i ever said lol cause I told her it would be a Metro Interface with touch screen capabilities
After explaining to her she said I like typing my stuff in and if it limits using the Desktop I'll pass
I find it funny cause she hardly uses a computer and for her to say that I think a lot of people will be the same way only the young adults and teens will dig this way more then us Oldschool folks
@NightHawk Really This is pretty sad that would impact sales alone If you have to purchase 3rd party software just to do things that all others windows version do for free That has to make people stop and think about wth they are purchasing
I think a great number people going out to buy a new OEM system to replace some old XP boat are going to end up saying "What in H is this garfangled nonsense?!" and want to send it back! For those that bragging rights they will saying "see 8 does everything I want better!" with the rest of the onlookers saying... "give it a rest please!"
For looking at more then just the Metro UI I was running into some compatibility issues like no longer being able to DX 9 Full to go due to the not so surprising "incompatible with this version of Windows" message you would run into with each new version at times.
The security as far as detection of bugs was improved at least while the awkwardness of getting the mouse cursor "just in the right spot" no less to get the new Settings/Apps side bar to appear just to reboot or shutdown is a headache at times! One ZDNet blog writer labeled that a "convoluted process" in a derogatory sense on how this will be another large turnoff for many!
For most who worked with a desktop OS and are not heavily leaning on hand helds and Tablet PC embedded type OSs the radical changes are going to be the main factor for those looking to upgrade out of XP or Vista. I doubt most would consider replacing 7 with 8 in their lifetime! No way! Hose' 7 is here to stay!
8 go fly a kite!
I think you will find that XP was originally filled with errors when MS rushed it out following the ME flop! The SP1 there also had to address the 137gb hardware limitations when hard drive capacities were then first seeing increases from the old 10-16gb typical size of the late 90s to the 120-250gb sudden increases.
IE 6 was also a malware writer's dream come true! On the other hand 7 was refined after Vista was labeled the "bloated OS" when MS realized Windows was getting too big for comfort and worked out the MinWin kernel. 7 was also found not in any BIG need for SP1 from the start requiring a large number of fixes.
Unlike Vista's "eye candy" label also seen 8 will not be retaining a Classic or Aero styling in themes and the eye candy now being seen is something else entirely! Back in 2009 I could have told you then the next version to follow 7 would be a hard sell with 7 being a working OS.
MS just further complicated things with a wild gambit as far as 8 is concerned when stripping away a standard desktop OS portion without providing any form of even newer looking desktop gui option. They have to slash prices now to even get people to take a look! as well as stripping the OE down.
Sticking with Win 7...it will take over a year for Microsoft to fix all the bugs in Win 8.... if it's not broke dont fix it Win 7 rules
I guees at this price it is OK to upgrade one system for tinkering around. But for a production system, Win8 seems to be pretty useless.
The way the DP, CP, and RP look you certainly got that one right on the money! With 7 being a "win all" situation MS apparently decided to play "spin the dice" with 8!
Unfortunately due to the way they revamped a desktop OS into something else where it will land likely won't be on favorable turf. Back with Windows 98 you saw a 98PLUS! being the edition with the goodies. With Windows 8 it looks more like the opposite where it will become the 8FLOP!
Quote