Report: Majority of Windows 8 Users Ignore Metro / Modern UI Applications

[fimbulvinter]

I've been booting to desktop pretty much since I installed it 7 months ago. I gave Metro a shot for a few days and just couldn't deal with it. Installed Classic Shell. Problem solved.

 

[mafaulkner]

Did anyone else notice that the table above actually reads >1 (greater than one), instead of <1 (less than one)...?

 

[falcompsx]

Why can't Microsoft just give users the CHOICE of which interface to use? Then they can continue(begin?) to refine metro and eventually make it better than the desktop. If it ever is better than the desktop, people will....gasp.... stop using the desktop in favor of somethin better. However just because Microsoft tries to force feed us something new and claim its better doesn't make that true. There's a reason Windows 8 adoption rate is low. There's a reason dozens of start menu replacment apps(free, or paid) have come out for windows 8. the majority of users can't stand the new start menu on traditional computers. Rather than forcing us to switch to something new, just make something new, make it intuitive and powerful and guess what? People will WANT to use it instead of the desktop we currently prefer! Its simple common sense.

 

[nevilence]

I can say with ease that I imagine win 8 is a great OS, I can also say with confidence that I have used the windows standard start menu OS long enough to know I dont want it changed, hell i get confused enough with the changes between win xp and win 7, i dont need a totally new screen to fuck with my head as well. But as I said above, I still have no doubt that the win 8 OS is probably very stable, efficient and all sorts of other fantastic things, I am just not interested due to that stupid screen.

 

[Vlad Razvan]

If I had a touchscreen enabled machine I would probably use the metro interface. But I don't, and most win8 users don't either, so shoving metro down our throats is just demining on Microsoft's part.

 

[antilycus]

Don't like it? Here's a strange idea? DON'T USE IT or BUY IT or COPY IT. There are plenty of great free solutions out there ( I prefer Linux Debian ), because it's thread processing and kernel management is top notch (especially compared to MS Windows). Unfortunately, living with WIN7 or WIN XP is eventually going to die and MS knows it. It's still trying to figure out the life span until people eventually "give up and suck it up" and will join WIN 8.
Look at WIN7. It IS Win Vista. Same kernel, small / cleaner U.I. changes and people adopted it. If I was MS, I would assume that Windows 8.1 will magically convince people that WIN8 is the future just as WIN 7 convinced people that VISTA was a problem in the past (same stupid thing, different name).
MS is on a sinking ship and at this rate, x86 will eventually be as well. The only thing that both have going for it, is it's history and knowledge (and unknowledgeable) developers out there today.
However, at the rate at which "Real" programmers are dying thanks to things like Java, Python, and top of that list Microsoft with their (rap languages such as J#, C#, .net, etc who knows what is going to happen. Apparently doing things the best way instead of the easiest way (debatable) is a curve that is constantly changing. Anyways staying on point, if you don't like where MS is heading DON'T SUPPORT THEM WITH YOUR TOOLS, Software, MONEY and expectations. Android is eventually going to take over and it's built on Linux. So stop hating and get your chance to change the future instead of dying with the past.

 

[Avus]

Why a regular desktop user need to use a Metro app?

 

[stevejnb]

Yeah, got to side with others in this thread in thinking this is rather shoddy journalism. With no comparison between desktop VS metro application usage, this is just, as an above poster stated, "pandering to the commenters on Tom's that want to hear how Win8 is an unmitigated disaster." I'd be really interested to see those numbers myself.

Personally, I have two machines currently running Windows 8. One is an Acer W700 tablet that came with full fledged Windows 8 on it, and the other is a two year old Asus G73 laptop which I upgraded to Windows 8 about 2 months ago. The W700 has its dock set beside a 50 in HDTV and, when I'm not out with it, it plugs into that TV and functions as a secondary computer paired up with Bluetooth mice and keyboards, and the G73 is hooked up to a smaller HDTV and a monitor. The only touchscreen they use between them is the W700's tablet touchscreen and that only gets used when it is on the go.

Between myself and my girlfriend, using them both as desktop machines hooked up to monitors/TVs, we use metro about 25% of the time. The Netflix app in Metro and the browser is nice, the mail app is nice for our outlook accounts, the weather app is handy, and a few other things are nice. Gaming, web surfing (sometimes), word processing, etc, all are on the desktop because, simply put, it is better for it. I do quite like having metro as an option for some things though.

When on the move, the W700 spends about 75% of its time in the Metro interface. Simply put, it's good for touch. Not bad for mouse/keyboard once you get the hang of it, but it is particularly good for touch.

I'd be very curious to see more complete numbers on this. MS screwed up with this trying to force the user to use metro. Metro is a nice interface for certain things and this whole "metro should die!" mentality is just idiotic if you've ever tried to use desktop on a tablet. The dual nature of Windows 8 is an excellent approach in my eyes, with the best of both worlds being able to come out in a device like the Acer W700 (or any other fully featured Windows tablet) - a tablet for on the go or a desktop with just a keyboard, mouse, and micro HDMI or VGA cable. Really, I get the feeling that if one of you guys who are *so* down on Windows 8 in general got to try out one of these tablets for a while, you might change your tune a bit. Windows 8 as a pure desktop solution though, I can understand the gripes - MS should have done it differently.

 

[FloKid]

When's Windows 8 release date? : )

 

[jdwii]

Its so easy to pick out the people that haven't used Win8. They are the ones bad mouthing it.

Really i have 8 installed on my desktop every day and metro clogs your whole screen and limits productivity when doing so. The tiles vs Icons are ugly to me, windows 8 is only slightly faster than 7 and i have multiple old games that won't work somthing i did not notice when moving to windows 7 from vista. So far i installed classic shell disabled those ugly black bars and metro altogether from popping up not to mention i boot straight to the desktop. Those few games i don't even bother with and i do enjoy the new task messenger and the way it handles copy and moving files(not to mention you can pause it). Windows 7 was amazing when compared to vista and xp but Windows 8 is a horrible operating system from the start, only fixable with 3rd party software.

 

[tomfreak]

windows 8 is a great OS with a lousy Metro UI. I dont really like start screen but I am fine with start screen, they are bad, but not bad enough. The real problem is once u head into metro app, Oh god those full screen app sucks.

 

[Caffeinecarl]

When I was using Windows 8, my main key to keeping my sanity was to avoid the metro interface as much as possible, because it wasn't just aesthetically unpleasing, it was actually far less useful than the original start menu or the Windows 8 desktop. For e-mail, I'd use Windows Live Mail 2012 and completely skip the metro mail (cr)app. When I was looking for that one song to play I had a jump list item to open the music folder which I could then search. It was clumsier than the way I am back to using now that I've decided to abandon my evaluation, but it at least worked somewhat. I use the 7 start menu many times a day to launch programs and search, especially because it's faster than using the method I just listed, not to mention I have more options.

 

[kelmen]

get the m$ guy name who made the decision to enforce the funny ui, and execute him.

 

[Fierce Guppy]

I use the start screen apps in place of desktop gadgets. Bing weather, currency exchange rate, gold price ...etc. Better there then cluttering up my desktop where I spend 99.9 percent more of my time.

 

[khakzoy]

Absolutely love windows 8. I even like the new start menu but there is no single metro app that I use on my system, the ones I did start were clicked on accidentily

 

[khakzoy]

Absolutely love windows 8. I even like the new start menu but there is no single metro app that I use on my system, the ones I did start were clicked on accidentily

 

[khakzoy]

Absolutely love windows 8. I even like the new start menu but there is no single metro app that I use on my system, the ones I did start were clicked on accidentily

 

[hixbot]

Most Widnows 8 users don't have a touch screen. Metro apps are annoying to use with a mouse.

 

[ramon zarat]

I'll bet 50%+++ of those "launch" were by accident pressing the wrong keyboard shortcut or the wrong icon.
Message to M$: ***KILL*** Metro, give us back the start menu. What we want is Windows 7, service pack 3 basically... All the benefits without all the pain.

 

[InvalidError]

Most Widnows 8 users don't have a touch screen. Metro apps are annoying to use with a mouse.

Even if I had a touch screen I still would not use touch simply because:
- my screen is 2' in front of me so computing with arms extended full-length in front of me would give me sore shoulders in minutes
- I hate having fingermarks or any other form of dirt on my desktop/laptop screens
- I'm not particularly fond of smudges on tablet screens either but since that's the primary/only built-in input method on those devices, I just have to live with it - thankfully, cotton shirts and jeans do a generally great jobs at removing the worst of 'em
- touch input means your hands are covering a significant chunk of display area and I find that generally irritating as well

Touch simply makes little to no sense on desktops/laptops - unless they are convertible or all-in-one types where touch is used for keyboard/mouse-less operation.

 

[stevejnb]

I'll bet 50%+++ of those "launch" were by accident pressing the wrong keyboard shortcut or the wrong icon.
Message to M$: ***KILL*** Metro, give us back the start menu. What we want is Windows 7, service pack 3 basically... All the benefits without all the pain.

Even though I 110% agree with a sentiment of "make Metro optional," what's with this "kill Metro" stuff? In a world where mobile devices are becoming more and more prevalent, do you really want to eliminate a mobile interface and be stuck with nothing but the desktop on mobile devices? Hope you have small fingers, if so... Desktop is *not* designed for mobile and Metro is *not* designed for desktop. As such an OS that actually has both is rather ideal for a device that can either act as a tablet or plug into a keyboard, mouse, and monitor/TV and become an desktop or entertainment center.

Bottom line? Even if you hate having Metro forced on you - and I'm not suggesting you're wrong to do so - it IS a very handy thing to have built into the OS for tablets. Or would you rather a whole new OS for portable devices?

 

[InvalidError]

Or would you rather a whole new OS for portable devices?

That's more or less how things have always been and still are for the most part. Nothing surprising there.

The needs and expectations of people using tablets and laptops/desktops are still too different so major friction when attempting to forcibly merge the two was inevitable and Microsoft's first attempt at it was poorly executed in just about every way.

Metro applications on desktop/laptops would make more sense if they could be opened on secondary screens, split-screens and windowed modes - makes them more compatible with the way laptop/desktop people expect to use their computers.

 

[mpdugas]

What is so amazing to me is that the Windows 8 "Desktop" is a Metro application...so how can anyone say they don't prefer to use Metro?

 

[stevejnb]

Or would you rather a whole new OS for portable devices?

That's more or less how things have always been and still are for the most part. Nothing surprising there.

The needs and expectations of people using tablets and laptops/desktops are still too different so major friction when attempting to forcibly merge the two was inevitable and Microsoft's first attempt at it was poorly executed in just about every way.

Metro applications on desktop/laptops would make more sense if they could be opened on secondary screens, split-screens and windowed modes - makes them more compatible with the way laptop/desktop people expect to use their computers.

"It's the way things have always been" is a pretty weak argument against something in the face of a major modus operandi change in how these machines interact, which is exactly what is staring us in the face. At this point our desktop machines, our phones, our portable machines, our consoles, are all sharing subscriptions and on the verge of all being very intimately interconnected. I don't know about you, but I've had the displeasure of trying to hook Android and Apple products into my PC and trying to get the different software to play nicely together for the past few years and I *dread* the implications of having a Windows PC, an Apple phone, and an Android tablet in my household and trying to get things transferring and working with any degree of ease as things become more and more integrated.

Then you have to ask yourself, concerning Windows 8... Make boot to desktop an option and re-institute a start menu while keeping metro as an easily accessible option and don't 95% of the complaints about Windows 8 vanish?

I guess the question is, do you want the software hurdle of a different operating system to overcome every time you try and make your phone, computer, tablet, console, TV, car (it's a coming) etc etc etc communicate? It does not have to be there. Simply put, the big problem with Windows 8 isn't that Metro exists or that it is even bad, it's that it is forced onto people in the environment it was not meant for. You take that away and you've got a quality touch screen interface for fast media consumption at the click of a button and the potential for any kind of machine speaking the same language.

What Windows 8 should do is basically have a "tablet mode" button and scratch this always metro from the start mentality. As it is, having used a Windows 8 tablet for a few months now, Metro is damned handy. What's more, when I plug that tablet into an HDTV and hook in a mouse/keyboard it becomes a desktop in almost every important way. Take away Metro OR the desktop and you limit the useful diversity of such a device.

 

[xyriin]

For those complaining about lack of data you can read the source link as recommended for a bit more detail and some additional data points. While not 100% conclusive it appears as though there is a significant desire among their tracked users to avoid the Metro UI when possible.
All that aside, Blue is the closest thing you're going to get from Microsoft in the form of admitting Metro was a failure. However, the changes coming in Blue pretty clearly indicate that the Metro UI has been a failure on the desktop.