Windows 8 SP1: What We Hope To See

[LightEco]

A lot of these issues aren't even present. Make the store a live tile that shows when you have app updates? umm, it already does that. It even tells you how many you have.

[Colin McGregor]

I love the "Windows 8 is for tablets not pcs". Its like as soon as windows 8 was announced people went brain dead and forgot how to move a mouse.

A lot of these issues aren't even present. Make the store a live tile that shows when you have app updates? umm, it already does that. It even tells you how many you have.

silly guy, did you expect logic from an obvious troll post?

[Dot Matrix]

I love the "Windows 8 is for tablets not pcs". Its like as soon as windows 8 was announced people went brain dead and forgot how to move a mouse.

Moving a mouse takes too much work. So, I'm going back to Windows 7.... to move my mouse. Wait...

[guru]

sorry MS fans, but the article is spot on.

UX sucks,

Dumbed down interface, that makes iOS seem like Linux

The default Apps in Win8 Metro are a joke. with the exception of Office, there isnt a single app that holds a candle to iPad apps. Garageband, iPhoto.. i could go on.(i recently played around with my uncle's ipad,)

Win8 badly needs a update. with all the resources MS have, i cant believe, they didnt see this coming. i mean , how difficult is it to code the default apps? heck, at the very least match these http://www.apple.com/ipad-mini/built-in-apps/

i'm starting to think, over minimalist metro isn't suited at all for Tablet / Desktop. The only thing going for it is live tiles.. which are awesome. but other than that, it seems to soo bland compared iOS or even jellybean :/

[Shane Nokes]

sorry MS fans, but the article is spot on.

UX sucks,

Dumbed down interface, that makes iOS seem like Linux

The default Apps in Win8 Metro are a joke. with the exception of Office, there isnt a single app that holds a candle to iPad apps. Garageband, iPhoto.. i could go on.(i recently played around with my uncle's ipad,)

Win8 badly needs a update. with all the resources MS have, i cant believe, they didnt see this coming. i mean , how difficult is it to code the default apps? heck, at the very least match these http://www.apple.com.../built-in-apps/

i'm starting to think, over minimalist metro isn't suited at all for Tablet / Desktop. The only thing going for it is live tiles.. which are awesome. but other than that, it seems to soo bland compared iOS or even jellybean :/

Uh. At least match those? Win8 by default comes with its own version of almost all the apps in that link. There's only a few it's missing and that's because MS doesn't have it's own eBook retail shop. For that you can install apps from the retails themselves within seconds. I already have all my Kindle stuff on Win8.

The other apps you've mentioned (like Garageband) are paid apps and not on the iPad by default. So to try to compare the default apps on Win8 to non-default apps is the type of (pun not intended) apples to oranges comparison that makes your argument look bad.

Bland is a set of static icons. Alive is a UI that presents you with up to date information regarding the things you care about.

Also Office (even on WinRT) is a desktop not Metro app.

Are you sure you're even aware of what Windows 8 offers if you're offering this kind of bad information that isn't backed up by reality?

[guru]

Uh. At least match those? Win8 by default comes with its own version of almost all the apps in that link. There's only a few it's missing and that's because MS doesn't have it's own eBook retail shop. For that you can install apps from the retails themselves within seconds. I already have all my Kindle stuff on Win8.

Metro equivalents of those apps are crap. just compare apple mail and metro mail app.

The other apps you've mentioned (like Garageband) are paid apps and not on the iPad by default. So to try to compare the default apps on Win8 to non-default apps is the type of (pun not intended) apples to oranges comparison that makes your argument look bad.

i didnt say garageband was default. garageband is first party app. has MS made any Garageband equivalent app? how about iPhoto? There should have been very good benchmark Apps by MS at launch.

Bland is a set of static icons. Alive is a UI that presents you with up to date information regarding the things you care about.

you could have live tiles and some texture..

Also Office (even on WinRT) is a desktop not Metro app.

Are you sure you're even aware of what Windows 8 offers if you're offering this kind of bad information that isn't backed up by reality?

talk about hiding behind semantics, The "Desktop" in WinRT cannot be used by any other app other than Office and IE.

[Shane Nokes]

Incorrect. Any of the normal in-the-box Winapps work on desktop on RT models.

Paint, Notepad, Wordpad, Command Prompt.

The whole OS is still functional. You just can't install other stuff. It is still fully functional otherwise. You can treat it exactly like any other Windows.

So what semantics are you talking about? Office is NOT a Metro app. There is no semantics involved...none.

BTW I fully manage 3 email addresses currently in the default mail app.

1 Outlook, 1 Hotmail/MSN/Live based, and 1 IMAP based with ease.

What's wrong with the default mail app?

[Asrokhel]

+1 Microsoft has already said there will be no SP1 ...

That's not the point, the article is just an "I wish" article.

[nekrosoft13]

The solution? Microsoft needs to refine the user interface, period. And this can take a number of forms. The most obvious solution is treating Metro the way it was meant to be designed: as a supplement to the ?core? Windows 7 operating system rather than a botched attempt at a primary UI. Let users boot into the desktop if they want. Give them their Start button back. Give them the option of restricting Metro?s interface to Metro apps only, which also solves the irritating issue of installed apps filling Windows 8?s new user interface full of crappy tiles.

AMEN!

windows 8 could have been so much better if only they would keep the two worlds seperate, give the user a choice.

they really need to try to somehow made the metro apps usable. apps like weather should not take a full screen. should be a easy option to size, minimize move apps. and before some metro fanatics say but but you can.

sorry but you can't, look how much freedom you have with desktop apps, you can size the windows to any shape, any size, place them anywere, you have no limit to how many are placed on the screen, you can send the WMP or zune to small toolbar in the taskbar.

metro is to limited in function, its not a move forward, is a giant step backwards, nothing was improved.

[ViperAFK]

What's wrong with the default mail app?

1. It REQUIRES a windows live account, otherwise you can't even use it to setup an imap account. Not a problem for me since I have one, but I do tech support for an ISP, and one of the things I do most often is help people setup our email in the default windows email app. I deal with a lot of tech illiterate customers, and they get really confused when it tells them they need a windows live account.

2. Even the most incredibly basic options/actions are buried behind the right click menu.

3. It just generally lacks features compared to windows live mail and other mail apps.

[nekrosoft13]

1. It REQUIRES a windows live account, otherwise you can't even use it to setup an imap account. Not a problem for me since I have one, but I do tech support for an ISP, and one of the things I do most often is help people setup our email in the default windows email app. I deal with a lot of tech illiterate customers, and they get really confused when it tells them they need a windows live account.

2. Even the most incredibly basic options are buried behind the right click menu.

3. It just generally lacks features compared to windows live mail and other mail apps.

that pretty much describles all metro apps.

I installed windows 8 on two peoples PCs over the weekend because they insisted. and both were suprised why do they need microsoft acounts, one only had comcast email and other had gmail. both asked why do i need microsoft account, i don't need or want one.

one person already asked me to restore it back to windows 7, good thing i made backup of the c drive.

[Dot Matrix]

1. It REQUIRES a windows live account, otherwise you can't even use it to setup an imap account.

You CAN setup an IMAP account. Mail doesn't require a Live account. You can setup Google, Yahoo, and AOL accounts.

But for IMAP: Charms > Settings > Accounts > Other Account. Boom there you go.

[Asrokhel]

Microsoft are not releasing any more service packs and definitely no new features in updates

Here, let me post the following again, in regards to this article on MPC:

That's not the point, the article is just an "I wish" article.

[ViperAFK]

You CAN setup an IMAP account. Mail doesn't require a Live account. You can setup Google, Yahoo, and AOL accounts.

But for IMAP: Charms > Settings > Accounts > Other Account. Boom there you go.

Accounts does NOT show up in the mail charms menu until you've logged in with a windows live account.

[f0rk_b0mb]

You CAN setup an IMAP account. Mail doesn't require a Live account. You can setup Google, Yahoo, and AOL accounts.

But for IMAP: Charms > Settings > Accounts > Other Account. Boom there you go.

Right, but you need a Microsoft Account to use the Store, Music, and Video apps. Technically, you can use the Music and Video apps without one, but it ask you to login every time you launch the app--which is annoying...

[ViperAFK]

You CAN setup an IMAP account. Mail doesn't require a Live account. You can setup Google, Yahoo, and AOL accounts.

But for IMAP: Charms > Settings > Accounts > Other Account. Boom there you go.

I know how to set it up, what I meant is that if you don't log into a windows live account, accounts isn't even listed in the charms menu. You need to login to a windows live account before it lets you set up any other type of account:

[George P Global Moderator]

Well, regardless of how MS updates Win8, be it with a SP that brings features or just a 8.x update or w/e they call it in the end I expect and want to see more options on the start screen side of things, you still have to dive into the old desktop control panel to do more advanced stuff, that should start to find it's way in the metro control panel or the charms as well IMO.

Updated apps ofc, though I expect them to push out app updates independent of any OS updates but we could get another round of them if the OS update adds things to WinRT etc.

And that's the other thing, more features to WinRT to make it more mature and allow developers to do more with their metro apps etc.

Some more UI tweaks would be nice. Though I don't expect to see the start screen and the desktop merge more till Windows 9 probably.

[Dot Matrix]

Accounts does NOT show up in the mail charms menu until you've logged in with a windows live account.

Then make an account? Windows 8 is pretty much DOA without one anyway.

[ViperAFK]

Then make an account? Windows 8 is pretty much DOA without one anyway.

How many times do I have to say that I have a WL account, and this problem isn't about me specifically. I am talking about people that don't, particularly tech illiterate people that I deal with daily at work, that only use their ISP email address and can barely handle using that.

For example I was talking to a lady earlier trying to set up her ISP mail via imap in the windows mail app. She was very confused about why she needed another account, to use the email she's always used. She went though the microsoft account setup, and it said she had to go to the confirmation email that it sent to her ISP email to activate it, thats when she called us. The activation mail never showed up, and every few seconds windows popped up a message telling her to check her mail. I ended up just having her download windows live mail. This is not user friendly.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

How many times do I have to say that I have a WL account, and this problem isn't about me specifically. I am talking about people that don't, particularly tech illiterate people that I deal with daily at work, that only use their ISP email address and can barely handle using that

how is this any different than needing a google account to do most things on an Android phone/tablet or vise-verse with an Apple account for iPhone/iPad?

[theyarecomingforyou]

I think it would be wise for Microsoft to put out a substantial free update to address the core concerns and to show their commitment to the Windows brand, in much the same way as is done for phones. With Windows 8.5 we could see usability issues addressed (multi-monitor Metro apps; blank screen when side-snapping; inconsistent mouse gestures, etc), an increase in customisation options (Start Screen backgrounds; new colour schemes, etc) and a greater unification between the two environments (a single settings centre, rather than Control Panel and PC Settings; desktop-style on the desktop, like Network). They could also update the WinRT framework, as the more functionality they add the more compelling applications become and the more money Microsoft makes.

If Microsoft is to make the majority of their revenue from app sales - which seems to be their plan - then they need to change the way they support and update Windows. Windows 8 has a lot of great functionality and with some tweaking it should be possible for them to win around a lot of the critics.

[mahara]

TS should actually ask: Windows 9: What We Hope To See

Nothing would be changed in Windows 8 SP1, even if it would exist.

[nekrosoft13]

how is this any different than needing a google account to do most things on an Android phone/tablet or vise-verse with an Apple account for iPhone/iPad?

how about this was never a morm on windows pc, how about people that don't have smartphones, people that never had to go though this BS. requring that you have a microsoft account just to check your email is silly.

Then make an account? Windows 8 is pretty much DOA without one anyway.

a lot of people don't want one, a lot of people simply don't need their information all over the web, numerious useless acounts.

How many times do I have to say that I have a WL account, and this problem isn't about me specifically. I am talking about people that don't, particularly tech illiterate people that I deal with daily at work, that only use their ISP email address and can barely handle using that.

For example I was talking to a lady earlier trying to set up her ISP mail via imap in the windows mail app. She was very confused about why she needed another account, to use the email she's always used. She went though the microsoft account setup, and it said she had to go to the confirmation email that it sent to her ISP email to activate it, thats when she called us. The activation mail never showed up, and every few seconds windows popped up a message telling her to check her mail. I ended up just having her download windows live mail. This is not user friendly.

plus a lot of non-tech savy people, will have their info send to their address (ISP), but might not know how to retrieve that information, since stupid metro mail app won't let them into their acount

[forster]

Is anybody else getting tired of this yet - Win8 is fine for me, it might not be for some people, but it is for me - hows about letting the horse just die already? If you dont like it, use Windows 7, we all have a choice in life, choose something else.

[nekrosoft13]

I think it would be wise for Microsoft to put out a substantial free update to address the core concerns and to show their commitment to the Windows brand, in much the same way as is done for phones. With Windows 8.5 we could see usability issues addressed (multi-monitor Metro apps; blank screen when side-snapping; inconsistent mouse gestures, etc), an increase in customisation options (Start Screen backgrounds; new colour schemes, etc) and a greater unification between the two environments (a single settings centre, rather than Control Panel and PC Settings; desktop-style on the desktop, like Network). They could also update the WinRT framework, as the more functionality they add the more compelling applications become and the more money Microsoft makes.

If Microsoft is to make the majority of their revenue from app sales - which seems to be their plan - then they need to change the way they support and update Windows. Windows 8 has a lot of great functionality and with some tweaking it should be possible for them to win around a lot of the critics.

merging metro and desktop simply doesn't work, and windows 8 is just a big mess. metro apps lack function, functionality, usability, multi-tasking and style.

they need to add option for user to choose if they want metro or desktop to be the main interface. metro should be seperated from desktop, if you want to use the simpler more idiot proof apps then you could launch metro, if you want functionality you would stay in desktop.

bring back the start menu, only way to fix windows 8.