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

[oatmeal25]

not really interested in the new interface. Win 7 is fantastic and I don't see any tangible reason to upgrade.

The biggest risk to win 8 risking the loss of legacy software to any as yet unknown incompatibilities.

 

[whitecrowro]

they should make the upgrade free

 

[aidynphoenix]

i will not move to another OS until there is something that im missing out on.
i only moved to win7 because i wanted dx10 in my games.

 

[willard]

[citation][nom]hetneo[/nom]And you will be fired from MS for making stupid comments on Tom's.[/citation]
You realize that the developer preview is open to the public, right?

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/br229516

I only see one stupid comment here, and it isn't mine.

 

[LordConrad]

I will run it on a test machine (thanks TechNet) so I can learn the differences, but I won't run it on my main machine unless:
1) There are significant improvements over Windows 7
2) I can fully disable the new Metro-sexual interface

 

[aktomjerry]

come on ! it is still to early for windows 8 !
i just bought my laptop with windows 7 ultimate 3 months ago !
now others are saying that 8 is so great and better than 7 , but seriously spending money on 8 just next year will be really too early .

MS should at least give a free upgrade to those who have a genuine copy of the previous windows !

i will still stick to win 7 and will see what does users have to say about the full version of 8 .
it still haven't launched yet except for the developer edition , who knows about its stability and bugs it might have ???

 

[willard]

[citation][nom]LordConrad[/nom]I will run it on a test machine (thanks TechNet) so I can learn the differences, but I won't run it on my main machine unless:1) There are significant improvements over Windows 72) I can fully disable the new Metro-sexual interface[/citation]
The Metro UI is pretty prevalent, but you can work around it (for the most part) if you're determined. Just click the desktop icon when the computer boots up and you're back at a Win7 style desktop. Biggest problem is your start menu is the Metro UI, but it works pretty much the same way (aside from taking up the entire screen).

 

[Feldii]

I've never upgraded a Microsoft OS---I've always just waited until I'm getting a new computer.

That said, I'm tempted to upgrade my HTPC's OS to Win8. I'll wait and see what people have to say about it, but the Metro interface looks like it might be nice for an HTPC (since I'm 6 feet away from the screen).

 

[kyuuketsuki]

I'll upgrade if there's a CHEAP upgrade path from my current Win 7 Pro installation. I'm not gonna pay $100+ to upgrade for my PC.

Windows 8 is very interesting for tablets/touchscreen PCs/laptops, but the under-the-hood improvements are not interesting enough for a full upgrade cost for PC users.

 

[hannibal]

Well the better multicore usage sounds good! Those with two core prosessors are not gaining much... the rest of the folk may be more eager to move on.

 

[xyster]

i'll probably upgrade my notebooks and give that a test go. my desktops seem pretty happy with winxp/win7, so maybe i wont upgrade everything

 

[intelliclint]

I am like the new ribbon on Explorer windows. It is a lot faster to find file properties, security, rename, and more form it then the current Windows 7 version. I would love to see that just as a SP to Windows 7. The Metro UI is OK for touch and does improve the login screen and boot menu (a lot of changes to the boot menu as it is UI and works better with GUID partitions. The login screen is differet even on a domain. I prefer a clean desktop though not a bunch of tiles or icons. I even moved my recycle bin to the system tray (notification area) with a program I wrote.

 

[Guest]

I'll be buying a Hasswell and probably a new GPU up from my 460 so very probably yeah.

 

[mrkdilkington]

[citation][nom]loomis86[/nom]still using XP on my desktop unit...I figure I'll upgrade when windows 9 comes out.[/citation]XP?? Well excuse me future boy, I'm still rocking OS/2. I figure I'll upgrade when 50 years has passed, to maximize the value.

 

[JimmiG]

[citation][nom]southernshark[/nom]I doubt I'll upgrade until I buy a new TV. In fairness to Microsoft, this product is forward thinking (which is good). While its impact might not be immediate it is laying the foundation for the future, with touchscreen technology and the like. I suspect that even on desktop monitors, we will start to see more limited touch options. And in the future, these options will grow even further as touchscreens are incorporated into many aspects of our homes.[/citation]

If touchscreens are the future, then regular, big monitors have no future. With large screens, touch becomes a hindrance. For example, suppose you want to close a maximuzed window and then open the start menu. With the mouse, you click the close button in the upper-right corner, and then flick the mouse to instantly move the cursor to the lower-left to click the start button (I know it's even more efficient to just hit Alt+F4 and thern the Windows key). With a 24" touch screen, you would have to reach forward (you're usually sitting some distance away from the screen, unlike an iPhone which you press up against your face and squint at), lift your arm, and actually move your finger the full 24" diganoally from the top-right to the lower-left corner before you can tap the start button.

It's no coincidence that a typical mouse pad is about the size of a tablet. That's about as far as you want to move your hand to interact with what's on the screen.

 

[Camikazi]

[citation][nom]hetneo[/nom]And you will be fired from MS for making stupid comments on Tom's.[/citation]
The only stupid comment I see if yours, since the developer preview build of Windows 8 is available to anyone, not just MS employees.

 

[jdwii]

Microsoft has said that if you disable Metro, your Windows 8 desktop is going to look and feel a lot like the one in Windows 7.

That's all i need to hear +1, If it uses less ram and cpu cycles then even 7 sign me up i'll upgrade. As long as i can get my 7 interface on 8 i'll upgrade. If they make it where i have to go to the desktop app to get to my desktop they will lose one customer on 8. Just allow me to disable metro 100% completely and i'll buy it.

 

[mrmike_49]

[citation][nom]loomis86[/nom]still using XP on my desktop unit...I figure I'll upgrade when windows 9 comes out.[/citation]
if the price is OK, I'll likely upgrade when SP1 comes out on Win 8 (from XP 32)

 

[mrmike_49]

[citation][nom]murambi[/nom]Hey It handles multi threading slightly better than windows 7 so why not[/citation]

cause it's probably gonna cost $200 for a stinken' upgrade

 

[ezodagrom]

I'll only consider getting Windows 8 if Metro can be completely disabled and if the start menu can be switched to be similar to the Windows 7 start menu.

 

[alextheblue]

[citation][nom]murambi[/nom]Hey It handles multi threading slightly better than windows 7 so why not[/citation]Besides threading improvements, there are a lot of optimizations in Win8, as others have said. I'll probably be getting it for my primary machine.

 

[dalauder]

I'll be upgrading merely because I'll get it at a discount for the full (non-OEM) version.

 

[jezzarisky]

I plan on upgrading to Windows 8, Windows 7 didn't quite feel like a big enough upgrade from Vista(and I know, I know 'boo Vista', though I'm not seeing all the hate since SP1 fixed all the major issues), but by the time W8 comes out, I feel the improvements will finally be enough to switch over.

 

[Guest]

I decided to give Windows 8 a try in Virtualbox. OMMFG, I have never seen anything so awful. I'm really at a loss to understand how something this bad could get signed off on by all of the decision makers at MS. I can't imagine the idea of giving my grandma a brand new laptop with Windows 8, I guarantee she'd give up on it the first day, then it would collect dust until she eventually sold it on craiglist(from a PC not running Windows 8, of course).

I guess the UI is squarely aimed at people who like to see lots of pointless animations, because it's not functional or efficient, it's just "exciting". Either that, or they're just getting too lazy to address desktop, laptop, tablet, and cellphone users separately.

 

[husker]

If I hear one more analyst say that MS is too late to the tablet market my head will explode. Do they think the hardware for current owners will last forever, or never get outdated? Do they think people will stop being born? There is a whole crop of 13-15 year olds that are itching to own tablets in the next 2 years. They might as well tell companies to stop making cars 'cause everyone has already got one.