IDC: Windows 8 Will Be 'Largely Irrelevant' for PC Users

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willwayne

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I'll definitely be upgrading to Win8, since it's 'free' through my company's MSDN subscription! :p

Plus, it'll be easier to test Metro apps with Win8 installed...
 

cookoy

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i rarely change (upgrade or downgrade) any OS that's already preinstalled on my PC or notebook. if i need to buy a fresh OS i'm more inclined to select the latest OS available presumably for its longer support life and more current features.
 

starzty

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I have been testing windows 8 on desktop and laptop(With Kinect on desktop, pen tablet and normal laptop) I see it as a big upgrade for tablet users and more of a performance upgrade ala Snow Leopard for desktops and traditional laptops. The performance gains in file management and overall memory use are significant enough to warrant an upgrade for any performance user. A lot of services are now "sometimes" services rather than "always." I'd recommend reading the previous Tom's articles on the changes in Windows 8.
 

Netherscourge

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Contrary to all the analysts statements, I would like to see a Windows 8 Tablet which is 100% fully compatible and interactive with Windows 7.

You can't really do anything on a iPad or a Android Pad.

But on a Windows Pad, given full Windows support and open-access, you COULD actually do stuff AND keep the PC market relevant at the same time.

Put Office on it. Lets developers create on it. Let the everyday person write their home-grown programs for it, not just silly little apps.

THEN, you'll get my attention. Until then, I'm sticking to Windows 7.
 

blacksci

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Eh ill wait to see what reviews have to say. Id hate to pay another 100 bucks for a O.s. that really doesnt do anything for me....i.e.Vista.
 

olaf

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No upgrade for me unless it will bring some big changes like windows 7 over Xp. If it will be like Vista a big frigging flop and crap of an os ill pass. Plus Touch screen for my pc is not a plus, i see how my touchscreen phone looks after a day of use and i'm much to allergic to finger prints on my pc screen to like that :)
 

willard

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[citation][nom]Goldengoose[/nom]What was the metro interface like once you had gotten used to it? Prefer it over the traditional UI?[/citation]
I used both equally. Those nice, big icons in the Metro UI are metro apps, and the ones that just display a little tile with a classic Windows icon are non-Metro. So you can actually use Metro to do non-Metro things, and it's pretty intuitive. The metro version of IE10 was neat, but had no addon support (not even Flash) so I rarely used it, aside from just playing around.

The new "start menu" is basically the Metro interface, and it works quite well. When you open it up, you're greeted with pretty much everything on your computer. Start typing and it narrows down what's shown to what matches what you've typed (kind of like the Win7 start menu, but more robust and way faster). You can further narrow things down by selecting what kind of thing you're looking for (apps, pdfs, etc). Jump lists (right click an icon on the task bar) are still here, and are incredibly useful if you use editing software of any kind and like to jump between projects. Only two mouse clicks to open up a specific project you've got, or a text file you were working on two days ago and can't remember what you named it.

The Ribbon bar making its way into every facet of the OS was something I was pretty apprehensive about, but it works VERY well. Instead of burying commonly used features behind half a dozen clicks like their first pass at the Ribbon, they've taken things that would normally be hidden deep in the properties menus and placed it on the title bar. So turning on and off folder options is much simpler now than Organize->File and Foler Options-> Find the tab for your option -> scroll some stupidly long list -> checkbox, and usually only takes two clicks.

Essentially, they've streamlined the OS to the point where it just gets the hell out of your way and lets you use the stuff you want.

Oh, and no driver problems. I installed the Win7 version of all my drivers, and had no issues. Was able to install and play all my games without any problems or performance issues whatsoever. To steal a line from Apple, it just works.
 

Pawessum16

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I can see the point behind this. If I had to pay for it, I would have no desire to upgrade, but when it becomes free on my school's academic alliance, heck yes I'll upgrade!
 
G

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Yes, I will be getting the Win8 tablet when avail.. upgrade my laptop, low fee, why not .. I have the WinPhone, looking forward to the three screen compatability when I get the Xbox .. I'm starting to feel rich!!
 

mcd023

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I'm gonna wait for the BETA to try it. I did try installing it, but instead of putting on the 40GB partition I made, I put it over the primary OS. then I had to undo it. haha. I do look forward to Win8 and seeing the integration that they use btwn it and the phone/tablet.
 

p05esto

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I don't want finger prints on my screen, it will bother me when I play Crysis (sorry, just had to mention crysis), or BF3, MW3, SkyRim....NO FINGER PRINTS ON MY DESKTOP SCREEN EVER...no AIO EVER for my desktop.

Dude, a regular PC screen can't be touch even if you wanted that....only special screens can have that capability. Maybe someday all monitors will be built with that functionality, but today practically none are. Just pointing that little detail out!
 

amk-aka-Phantom

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I don't see how his post relates to what you've pointed out.
 

saturnus

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IDC should stick to posting statistics. They're very often so completely wrong in their forecasts a blind monkey with a dart would miss the mark less.
 

ojas

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No, just went from XP to Win7 in the second half of last last year, not upgrading till there's a good enough reason to. Not going to spend $120 every two years unless it's really needed. Win7 does what i want it to do, has DX11, better than XP, so i see no point.
 

GreaseMonkey_62

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I just upgraded to 7 at home and I like it. I played around with the developers preview. I didn't like the Metro UI with a mouse. I think I'll only go to 8 if I get a touch screen computer or tablet.
 

hetneo

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[citation][nom]willard[/nom]I used the Win8 dev preview for about a month. Best OS I've ever used, and it's not just limited to the Metro UI (which takes some getting used to). The whole thing is much more responsive and usable. 7 was good, 8 is great.I will absolutely upgrade from 7.[/citation]
And you will be fired from MS for making stupid comments on Tom's.
 

starzty

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After the Dev Preview you'll be able to turn off Metro, I admit some of the interfaces just did not work as well on a desktop with a large non-interactive screen. Just a note for people thinking that is a make or break. You can do it through the registry for now
 

gm0n3y

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If its faster than W7 and has some new features than sure I will. After SP1 of course. Now if only I could convince my work to upgrade from XP...
 

puddleglum

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No, I have no need at this point to downgrade to that OS. Honestly, unless you're a business wiennie or an Apple head there is no reason to even consider that product.
 

rawful

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I still wish I could go back to Windows XP. Over a year in, and I still hate Windows 7. There is absolutely nothing about it that I like better than Windows XP. Naturally I like that it runs DirectX 11 and runs in 64-bit, but I would much rather have XP that did the same than have to use Windows 7 to accomplish this.
 
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