Five Reasons why Windows 8 will be dead on arrival

[Jose_49]

and took me 3-4 mins to find shutdown button xD,

Waiit.... What? How come you found it that fast?! It took me three shutdowns through ctrl+alt+del and then it miraculously appeared to be under the settings button.

[Boeing 787]

Summary: Microsoft?s Windows 8 and Vista will have several things in common: Both are unwanted operating system updates that will flop in the marketplace.

Windows 8's Metro: The face of a DOA operating system.

Some of my die-hard Windows friends are very excited by Windows 8 arrival later this year. Others fear that Windows 8 will be a repeat of Microsoft?s Vista disaster. Me? I know Windows 8 will be a Vista-sized fiasco.

Before jumping into why I think far more PC users will still be running Windows 7 in 2016 than Windows 8, let me explain that while I prefer Linux as my desktop operating system, I don?t see Windows 8 charge into a brick wall as being a pro-Linux or anti-Microsoft issue.

In fact, as desktop operating systems go, I rather like Windows 7. Yes, really. Besides, it?s not like Windows 8?s forthcoming failure will help desktop Linux. Looking back, when Vista flopped, in the long run it actually hurt desktop Linux. That?s because Vista?s failure, combined with the threat of netbooks, caused Microsoft to revive Windows XP. If Windows 8 goes down the same path, I?m sure Microsoft will extend Windows 7?s lifespan.

So, why is Windows 8 destined to be a non-starter? Simple:

1. No one needs Windows 8 on the desktop.

Quick: Name one thing about Windows 8 that they don?t already get from Windows 7-or a great desktop Linux like Mint or Mac OS X Lion? I can?t.

Indeed, I can?t think of a single significant new improvement in Windows 8. The ability to refresh the operating system? Faster booting? A Windows Store? Live boot from a USB drive? Come on! All these features have been around in other operating systems for years, and while sure, they?re nice, put them all together and at most they?re worth a Windows 7 Service Patch?not a whole new operating system.

2. Metro: An ugly, useless interface.

As everyone knows, Windows 8 has a totally new default interface: Metro. When I look at Metro, however, I see gaudy colors, boxy designs, applications that can either run as a small tile or as full screen with no way to resize or move windows. Where have I seen this before? Wait, I know! Windows 1.0!

More to the point, almost everyone knows the current Windows interface. It?s changed over the years, but you could take someone who last touched Windows back in the Windows 95 days and drop that in front of them of Windows 7 and they?d be able to get work done. Metro? It?s entirely different. Heck, Microsoft has even dropped the Start button in the latest version!

In short, even if Metro was the best thing since sliced bread, which it isn?t, it will still require users to learn a new way of doing the same old thing. That?s a failure of an idea right here. Sure, you can use the ?Classic? desktop experience instead, but hey, I have an idea! Why not just use the Windows XP or 7 ?classic? interface instead?

3. Where are the Windows 8 Applications?

The Windows 8 Consumer Preview (read Windows 8 public beta) will be here real soon now and we still don?t know next to anything about Windows 8?s applications. As Mary Jo Foley recently pointed out we still don?t even know whether Office 15 will be Metro, non-Metro, or partially Metro.

Seriously? Windows 8 will probably be out by this fall and we still don?t know jack about its apps? Not even Microsoft?s own flagship office application? Come on! How can you take this operating system seriously?

4. Vexed Windows developers.

If you?re unhappy about the state of Metro applications, think about the poor Windows programmers. You?ve spent years learning .NET, Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), and now they have to learn WinRT and Jupiter/XAML.

Even developers who like WinRT give it ?complements? like ?It?s a great time to get involved with WinRT, as the platform is still in its infancy, and will need a lot of developer support to build even more robust tools.? Really? That comment was made in January 2012, and the development tools are still in diapers!?

Last, but not least, Windows developers will need rewrite their Metro apps for the more traditional Windows-style desktop. Oh, and they?ll also need to build them for both x86 and ARM platforms. That?s a heck of a lot of work to do without a lot of time to do it in. Put it all together and I see little chance about Windows 8 having many mature, ready-to-run applications come launch day.

Heck, Brandon Watson, head of developer experiences for Windows Phone, just left Microsoft for Amazon?s Android-based Kindle team Think he might know something?

This reminds me, what do you call an operating system without developers or applications? The answer? Dead.

5. Too little, too late for the smartphone/tablet market

Metro?s real point, of course, isn?t for desktop users. It?s Microsoft?s last gasp attempt to be a player on tomorrow?s computers: smartphones and tablets. If Microsoft was bringing something truly revolutionary to mobile devices, or they were still able to strong-arm original equipment manufacturers (OEM)s into loading Windows on their devices, I think they?d have a shot at the mobile space. Neither is true.

Smartphones are a dog fight between Android and iOS. Tablets did belong to Apple, but now Samsung, Amazon and Barnes & Noble are giving the iPad a fight for the tablet marketplace. Android and iOS are mature, have enormous developer communities and are wildly popular. Heck, if you count smartphones, thanks to the iPhone Apple is now the number one ?PC? vendor in the world.

On top of that, the U.S. phone carriers have no interest in a Windows Phone. Too old, too slow Microsoft is arriving much too late to the 2010s style of mobile computing to be a significant player and that means Windows 8 Metro won?t find an audience either. I see no room left for a major third-party platform. A minor player, like KDE or Ubuntu? Sure. A Microsoft? No.

Add it up. The majority of Windows users have only just switched over from XP to Windows 7 in, at best, November 2011. Microsoft is now asking for its users to switch to a platform with no significant improvements, a radically different interface, and which is very likely to have few applications. The result? Window 8 will be dead on arrival.

Source

I wonder how many will downgrade to Windows 7 after getting a Windows 8 machine.

PS: I was excited about Windows 7 but Windows 8 leaves me cold. We already have phones and tablets we really don't need yet another. Microsoft is just too slow and always tries to create a "Me 2" product too late.

[M_Lyons10]

I dunno, maybe it's me, but I have always believed in giving something a chance (So, you know, I can actually know what I'm talking about when criticizing it) and then take my real world experience to form an opinion. Upon release of the Developer Preview, I had some serious concerns. I'm pleased to say that Microsoft was clearly listening as they attempted to address them all prior to the Consumer Preview (It appears). I will give the Consumer Preview a chance and see how it goes. I'm not entirely sold on the whole thing yet, but I'm certainly not going to mouth off about something I have not used just so I can look like an *** later... LOL

[ApuBo]

Waiit.... What? How come you found it that fast?! It took me three shutdowns through ctrl+alt+del and then it miraculously appeared to be under the settings button.

spam keyboard as it was a screen touch device :shiftyninja:

[justmike]

I never said it was. However, 2011 saw for the first time that smarphones outselling the PC. I also never said Metro is for Tablet. I just said it is ugly. Metro is the big reason why business will not adopt Windows 8. Most people will be satisfied with Windows 7. If you don't see that, you must be new to technology.

Exactly, and furthermore many of us will actually like that the users tablets have a vastly different look than their work environment, because we may be able to push support costs further down the line for those of us that somewhat do both, and treat it as a novelty at first. Then if we have not outsourced everything into the cloud or outside service three years from now, we can work with a Win9 that may not rely as much on existing company costs, and that hopefully has any problems resolved. This trend http://www.neowin.ne...-western-europe may snowball I fear, because of the economy and need vs want. Depending on how the hardware/software costs line up, and what support services are cost effective at the time, will usually tell the tale.

[Aethec]

As usual...took me ten seconds to understand this article was written by SJVN. Basic anti-MS FUD, wrong statements. I know there are ads on ZDNet, but surely they could survive without this moron.

[Nothing Here]

As usual...took me ten seconds to understand this article was written by SJVN. Basic anti-MS FUD, wrong statements. I know there are ads on ZDNet, but surely they could survive without this moron.

I agree. But then, we wouldn't have all his hilarious bullspit.

[fusi0n]

Windows 8 is already DOA in my mind.

+1 :D

[SMELTN]

Well I am a Windows Fanboy. Have always been a Windows user. I have tried a couple of linux builds on my laptops for fun, but never liked them. I have to say though, I am really hating Windows 8 and actually agree with most of that article. I am actually looking at getting an iMac and completely going away from Windows other than Bootcamping into Windows 7 just because I am disappointed in Windows 8 so much.

[Coi]

Well I am a Windows Fanboy. Have always been a Windows user. I have tried a couple of linux builds on my laptops for fun, but never liked them. I have to say though, I am really hating Windows 8 and actually agree with most of that article. I am actually looking at getting an iMac and completely going away from Windows other than Bootcamping into Windows 7 just because I am disappointed in Windows 8 so much.

It's amazing how people just keep saying they'll switch to another OS because of some really early version of an OS they might not like..

It's still a DEVELOPER PREVIEW!

Seriously.. Just wait and see instead of making totally biased choices because you deliberately came here to watch some Win8 screenshots, nobody is forbidding you to continue using Windows 7 for the next 5 or so years either! (when XP is already being supported for almost 12 years).

You can not hate Windows 8, because you can not form an opinion about an unexisting product (MANY people think otherwise though). Windows 8 DOES NOT exist yet, only its Developer Preview does, which basically just shows its Tablet and Phone interface to the developers.

Ignorance and bias is the biggest problem of interaction between people and technology these days.

[techguy77]

It's amazing how people just keep saying they'll switch to another OS because of some really early version of an OS they might not like..

It's still a DEVELOPER PREVIEW!

Seriously.. Just wait and see instead of making totally biased choices because you deliberately came here to watch some Win8 screenshots, nobody is forbidding you to continue using Windows 7 for the next 5 or so years either! (when XP is already being supported for almost 12 years).

You can not hate Windows 8, because you can not form an opinion about an unexisting product (MANY people think otherwise though). Windows 8 DOES NOT exist yet, only its Developer Preview does, which basically just shows its Tablet and Phone interface to the developers.

Ignorance and bias is the biggest problem of interaction between people and technology these days.

Dude Windows 8 sucks, nothing you can do about it. I will bet you $100 that Windows 8 won't ever gain more than 20% market share before it dies and people forget ever existed.

[Coi]

Gimme dat $100 then..

Dude Windows 8 sucks, nothing you can do about it. I will bet you $100 that Windows 8 won't ever gain more than 20% market share before it dies and people forget ever existed.

Now back to acting mature, you should remember that wishful thought != fact. At least for everyone except you, maybe.

You also still refuse to read a whole post: I clearly said you can NOT hate Windows 8 because it doesn't exist yet.

[Zain Adeel]

Dude Windows 8 sucks, nothing you can do about it. I will bet you $100 that Windows 8 won't ever gain more than 20% market share before it dies and people forget ever existed.

please bet with me!..

Windows 8 will take over the tablet market (if ipad 3 fails to brings something new to the table).

Android tablets will take over in the lower price segment.

Windows 8 will be adopted on laptops and on TV systems to use as a multimedia interface.

It will work and it will sell!. it wont fail. Not in the consumer space.

[efjay]

@techguy77: No chance.

[Stoffel]

Dude Windows 8 sucks, nothing you can do about it. I will bet you $100 that Windows 8 won't ever gain more than 20% market share before it dies and people forget ever existed.

I like to get in on that bet if possible

I would love to take your money

[Kreuger]

Some good points. If people take to this radical new design and having to learn how to use Windows again, then those who cry Linux is so different and they don't have time to learn it have no valid point anymore.

[techguy77]

please bet with me!..

Windows 8 will take over the tablet market (if ipad 3 fails to brings something new to the table).

Android tablets will take over in the lower price segment.

Windows 8 will be adopted on laptops and on TV systems to use as a multimedia interface.

It will work and it will sell!. it wont fail. Not in the consumer space.

It wont take over tablets. Apple rules there and soon Android 4.0. People use VLC which support bluetooth keyboard and mouse and it works better. Again PC is not a Tablet. So my number of 20% is giving them too much infact. Windows 8 wont find its place in Business and Desktops and good luck in Mobile world.

[DaveBG]

Dead? Never! I would test it at least in VMWare!!! :D

Seriously, I got your points :)

And most true fact for me - metro interface sucks.

[Coi]

/Trolly troll trolly troll trolly troll trolly troll

VLC works better than an unreleased future product! So, why not download and install it? I'm sure that's possible, since Windows 8 will run on all devices, therefore allowing people to actually use every device as a PC?

And give up the wishful thinking already..

[techguy77]

Dead? Never! I would test it at least in VMWare!!! :D

Seriously, I got your points :)

And most true fact for me - metro interface sucks.

Like Windows Vista, pretty much dead OS :). The question is what is Microsoft going to do about it in Windows 9 ;)

[Muhammad Farrukh]

Like Windows Vista, pretty much dead OS :). The question is what is Microsoft going to do about it in Windows 9 ;)

Lets leave it for later discussion.

Question is, how are you gonna pay these $100 to all of us?

[techguy77]

VLC works better than an unreleased future product! So, why not download and install it? I'm sure that's possible, since Windows 8 will run on all devices, therefore allowing people to actually use every device as a PC?

And give up the wishful thinking already..

And yet every device is not a PC. Mixing Apples and Oranges again. I am gonna watch movie on PC and use VLC player to project it via HDMI cable to big screen in leaving room in HD1080 format with 3D Capability. I am not going to watch same movie in my little phone. Your argument is so Invalid, it is beyond commedy. Perhaps you should install Ubuntu 11.10 and see different world and possibilities.

Lets leave it for later discussion.

Question is, how are you gonna pay these $100 to all of us?

I bet only one person, don't be greedy haha. Actually whole Neowin forum should pay me $100 for saying that Vista is going to be a flop and that Windows 7 wont gain any significant Market share against Windows XP before next release. Next statement is that Windows 8 won't pass 20% of Market Share and most those installs will be in mobile devices. So talk to you in few years before Windows 9 comes to our door.

[Muhammad Farrukh]

We'll split up.

50 cents each :laugh:

[Brian Miller]

The author makes very valid points.

The most important point is that that we don't need Windows 8.

[Coi]

I am gonna watch movie on PC and use VLC player to project it via HDMI cable to big screen in leaving room in HD1080 format with 3D Capability. I am not going to watch same movie in my little phone. Your argument is so Invalid, it is beyond commedy. Perhaps you should install Ubuntu 11.10 and see different world and possibilities.

No arguments here except yours are invalid nor commedy.

You quoted a post stating that "Windows 8 will be used as media systems on TV's" saying that "VLC is better and supports bluetooth blabla" as if it's impossible to install VLC Media Player on a next version of Windows.

It couldn't be more obvious how you escaped by saying "ZOMG do you think I'm installing VLC on my little phone? Ubuntu FTW!"

Now that makes sense.