W7 is FINE but New Hardware needs needs a new OS

[jimbo45]

Hi there
It's interesting reading how many people on this Forum just seem to HATE W8 basically because it's missing a start menu and has a somewhat "Kiddy" type of interface (compare with the Kiddy Menu on AOL around 1996 -- screenshot enclosed). It actually is very simple to almost replicate W7 behaviour and after initial boot you don't have to look at the "Start UI" again.

However that's not the point -- Most W7 users are (in my experience) typical "Classical desktop / laptop" type users either intensive gaming or doing "classical Windows applications" which operate best in multi window re-sizeable mode with a mouse. Touch here isn't an issue.

However there are ALL sorts of new devices coming out these days and it's going to be essential to Sync applications / data etc with ALL these devices -- for example as in IE11 (Yes version 11) as seen in the recently Leaked version of Windows 8 "Blue". Touch enabled devices need to be handled and I rather like the idea of using say a Windows 8 Phone to be able to either stream a TV program from the Internet to my PC or even use the Phone as a remote controller for a smart TV,

Windows 8 has to link to all sorts of new devices such as Smart Meters in your home for controlling Utility usage -- I like being able to monitor this stuff remotely - and over the next few years we'll have a HUGE range of new hardware that we probably haven't any idea of today.

XP showed that you can't always "bolt on" extras to an OS -- there was a 64 bit edition XP-64 bit and there's even a 64 bit edition of Server 2003. However for all sorts of reasons Ms had to make a new OS -- Vista was rather unfortunate as the hardware wasn't really up to it -- but if you look under the hood W7 is largely an improved Vista -- and it's rightly very popular too.

However W7 is suffering the same "Growing pains" as XP -- it really has come to a point that upgrading and modifying this OS would make it just to unwieldy so Ms decided (correctly in my view) to try and make a flexible NEW OS which could be fitted into all sorts of devices with a similar interface.

Now it's not the best for traditional desktop users -- but it's certainly workable if you give it more than 20 mins and learn the tricks of not having to use the Start screen. Growth area is not as we all know in the desktop area -- people want tablets etc -- although the Ultrabook format is hanging on quite nicely --some things aren't possible to do on a tablet.

Ms hasn't actually done as bad as most of the naysayers think with the OS -- given the sharp decline in PC sales, economic situation and the changing habits of typical consumers -- a lot of people these days don't actually need a computer at all --a phone and a tablet probably serves them well enough -- and even for multi-media consumption Internet enabled smart TV's take care of that too.

Windows 7 WILL be around until 2020 so it's not going to vanish anytime soon - however those of you who expect W7 to be fitted with features for a lot of the new hardware that's coming on stream are going to have to put up with the fact that it's NOT going to be done.

W8 I'm sure WILL certainly have to improve the desktop experience for users who will continue to need this -- there are all sorts of applications where you HAVE to have concurrent re-sizeable windows available --translating documents, or using photoshop with several layers for example and many others. However in the first iteration Ms isn't too worried about the desktop - it's not the initial priority -- standard windows apps work so Ms can "attack that area" later.

People can off course disagree with the approach taken -- that's why the CEO's get paid a lot --they take the risk and the shareholders can get rid of them if they don't produce -- but for the pessimists here Ms Stock (MSFT) is doing quite nicely -- It's about 75% of the way between the 52 week low and high and gradually rising. Compare that with "The Fruit Company" (AAPL) whose stock has bombed from around 800 USD to about 450 USD and whose future projections don't look rosy at all -- even ITunes is beginning to suffer as people switch to services like Spotify for their music.

Finally those hideous "metro Apps" -- the new Windows Blue (Build 9364 for those who want to hunt it down --only x-86 is currently out "in the wild") now at least allows some flexibility in arranging these --on a decent HD monitor you can now get up to 3 on the same screen and re-arrange them a bit better -- so Ms is beginning to learn.

So Q3 and Q4 this year could be very interesting.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[Bongo]

 

[gregrocker]

If I'm reading the charts correctly it corresponds with what the sales and tech guys at the Big Box stores here are telling me when I stop by a different one every day on my bike rides here in So Florida.

They had steady traffic at all times at the various display PC's and were selling several an hour until Win8 was inexplicably released on all new PC's in October, which is when PC sales ground to a halt. They're lucky if they sell one a day now. Users don't like it. I watch almost every one walk up and try to poke at the Playskool buttons interface, find the Start button, then walk away.

Of course that doesn't explain why Apple also started plunging around the same time, but their high prices are another story.

 

[SIW2]

@Greg,

Mac has been down about 5%. It is a particular sector.

Windows - a lot more than that.

Wonder why?

 

[x BlueRobot]

@Greg,

Mac has been down about 5%. It is a particular sector.

Windows - a lot more than that.

Wonder why?

Microsoft = Windows 8

Apple = Major overpricing

 

[M1GU31]

Not that I can't learn to use the os is just it has stuff i don't need that my current os does already and is simpler. I had the test versions before windows 8 was released months before and it was fine I saw some improvement but not enough to convince me to move on. I am by no means not able to use it, I just prefer to use windows 7 interface and it works just fine and very responsive for my needs. Until a bunch of hardware is in need for it or they made these dramatic improvements in performance is when I might change. As of now windows 7 works just fine for me and I don't see a reason to change my os atm and yea i'm a gamer my self and yes windows 8 doesn't apeal to most of us because there's not very big performance changes or changes at all and have heard of dx11.1 but it sounds just as gimmicky as dx10 was on vista which did very small changes that weren't very noticeable or users found a way to get the same effect under xp like with crysis for example. Anyways I'll just wait until there's drastic improvements in performance.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
The whole point of the Post was NOT in anyway to denigrate W7 -- and W7 is perfectly fine for huge swathes of people running their current hardware or even to advocate updating to W8 but simply to say that a new OS HAD to be created. Whether Ms made a pigs ear of it is another matter entirely.

What I was basically trying to say is that there are a whole load of new devices out there which are increasing in both importance and daily usage and these DO need to have a new OS -- for all sorts of perfectly viable reasons it isn't feasible to bolt these on to Windows 7 (same reasons basically why XP had to go eventually).

The sales decline with PC's fell not unnaturally at October -- nothing to do with Windows 8 or any other OS -- this is the time of year people just get their "Plastic Money" bills for Summer vacations, kids have to be kitted out for school and winter Utility bills start eating into depressed household budgets. Plus if you cast your mind back the US was worried about "The Fiscal Cliff", Europe was even more in a mess with the Eurozone than it is now (almost impossible to believe) and economies like China and India seemed to be stalling so people were more concerned with saving what money they had "just in case".

W8 will be changed a bit -- there's already evidence of this in the leaked "Windows blue" build 9364 and probably other changes too -- however my main point wasn't about W8 but the fact that a new OS is definitely needed -- although those happy running current hardware don't have to stop in any way continuing to run what is a very good OS - W7.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[gregrocker]

Which new hardware will Win7 not run? I haven't personally seen any yet. Then again, I've never used it on touchscreen so don't know if it works that well - certainly it doesn't have the big PlaySkool buttons.

 

[SIW2]

Fascinating.

I like some things that are, shall we say - an acquired taste/not massively popular.

It doesn't bother me. I don't try and convert others or spread misinformation.

We all know 8 is not selling well. We all know the 8 product offering itself has a lot to do with that.

There are some people who like it - that is fine.

A small number of the 8 likers seem intent on making excuses and spreading misinformation.

It would take a shrink to figure that out.