Windows 8

Did anybody else get Windows 8 today? I got the Windows 8 Pro today for 38.88$ off of amazon and so far like it a ton more than I thought I would.

I tried it but didn't like it for the pc so I won't be picking it up.

I think I will skip Windows 8 on the desktop. I tried the preview edition in a virtual machine and see no reason to leave Windows 7. However, I am greatly intrigued by Microsoft Surface. I want to play with one in a retail environment and see how it feels in a tablet form factor. The ability to have a full Windows experience (at least on the non-RT variety) is deeply intriguing for a tablet. It is not as sexy as the iPad, but likely a whole lot more useful. I have caught glimpses of hybrid laptop/tablet devices that seem intriguing as well. I will just have to see what I think when I put my hands on some real hardware.

I thought I would never get it and skip it too, but I was like meh for 38.88 might as well get it, I think it's much more snappier than windows 7 and really nice to multitask, and the Microsoft apps and metro UI is really nice to have.

Tried it hate it. The fact that the Modern UI apps are not allows to talk to apps in the desktop area and reverse is lame, putting age restriction on content that can be played on Windows no is wrong. I mean yea 99% is all M or less but there are AO games and in the US Windows 8 will not allow AO games to be played. It's a very clunky OS if you dont have a touch screen etc. MS knows this OS is a hard sell thats why its 69.99 till Jan 31st an massive discounts to the 38/39 price at launch. After Jan 31st it goes back to the normal MS OS pricing.

For gaming this is the worst OS ever period.

I will be sticking with Win 7

The app data / setting sharing issue between metro and desktop is something I remember reading about, but I did not dive deep enough into the OS to experience it. I completely agree that makes the OS feel half baked. As far as speed goes, if you have a decent gaming rig with an SSD, Win7 is snappy. Yes, MS made improvements in boot / shutdown times and general system responsiveness, but they also gave us a multi colored screen of tiles with limited style and customization options that looks like someone's kid styled it (or grandmother ). When I went to the desktop and saw that the translucent and other graphic effects were gone to make the look "cleaner" and smoother on lower end hardware, I wrote the whole project off as not for me for my main PC anyway.

At a time when virtually all other vendors are increasing graphics power and capabilities in their devices, MS went the other way, and I doubt it will pay off.

I somehow think MS will stick with the basic principle of metro into Win9, though. I just hope they evolve the metro to desktop interaction quite a bit.

I drove from Ft. Wayne to Indy today to visit the Microsoft Store they have setup there and play with the Surface RT tablets they had on hand. I have to say..... When you use Win8 on a fully touch enabled device, it is very intuitive and easy to use. I was impressed at the fluidity of the UI and the solid build of the hardware. Skyler was there with me, and he did the test where you hold it by the keyboard and swing it around.... it held on. He was surprised!

renegade wrote: ...putting age restriction on content that can be played on Windows no is wrong.

This is only restricted to apps purchased in the Windows Store. If you are running Win8, not RT, you can install whatever you want.

And for those who may not know, even RT has the desktop. You can use it like your normal desktop, but without legacy app support.

What was your impression of the thickness and weight of Surface? How comfortable is it to hold with the keyboard touch cover folded behind?

trgtprctc wrote: What was your impression of the thickness and weight of Surface? How comfortable is it to hold with the keyboard touch cover folded behind?

The thickness and weight were pretty good. Of course its thinner with the TouchCover. With it folded backwards, its very comfortable to hold and use. I really like it.

The TypeCover on the other hand, is a bit thicker, and while its easier for typing (actual throw in the keys, and audible feedback) its not as friendly to fold backwards.

So Surface, it's pretty damn cool but still has a way to go. The biggest item that irked me was you can go on the desktop. Why the let you do this is beyond stupid. No one wants to use a tablet on the desktop. Other than that though it's pretty cool.

But the biggest question is this,

Would I buy one?

Nope, and here's why.

The iPad and iPhone have a great selection of apps. Android has almost as many apps but from what I've downloaded and used they just aren't as good. Blame the dev's on this one.

Until Windows RT has a bunch of apps there is no use getting one.

The hardware is great though, just need the apps to appear and they'll be on their way.

I would never buy Surface RT, but I am definitely thinking hard about Surface with Windows 8 Pro for the reasons you mentioned Wes.

I have an iPad 2 for personal use, and I also have the new iPad for work. I only need a handful of good apps. The hundreds of thousands that are quoted as an indicator of the quality and depth of selection available seems pointless to me.

The problem I have with my work iPad is that in order to do anything terribly productive, I have to remote into a Win7 VM?!?!?! A native Win8 tablet would be SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much more useful.

I am going to have to eat my own words. I realized a couple weeks back that I qualified for Win8Pro upgrade for $15 (program ended 2/28). I put it on my desktop, and the strangest thing happened...I realized I like it. Once you spend some time with it (especially after having watched the Story of Windows 8 video), it really grows on you. I can now appreciate the thoughtfulness of the design. I like the colorful live tiles and the design of Modern UI apps. I now believe the Modern UI design language is better than iOS.

Did Satan just put on a parka? Of course, I could just be delusional.