“Microsoft’s Windows 8 Consumer Preview was made available to download yesterday, giving everyone a chance to experience the company’s most revolutionary change in user interface since Windows 95,” Vlad Savov reports for The Verge.
“While the Consumer Preview software remains at the beta stage, its central concepts have now been fleshed out, so we thought this would be a fitting time to compare them against Apple’s iPad, the incumbent leader in the tablet space [in which] Microsoft is seeking to become a player,” Savov reports. “iOS 5 and Windows 8 share a few similarities, but the user experience is fundamentally different and informed by different interaction metaphors.”
Savov reports, “You can see those detailed in the video below, and if you care to learn more about what else has changed under the Windows hood with version 8, feel free to peruse our comprehensive preview of the Consumer Preview.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Familiarity breeds contempt – and, it seems, bias. We’ll wait to compare the shipping Windows 8 on shipping hardware versus what it will attempt to compete against: iOS 6 on the next-gen iPad.
I love how he says about the iPad:
Pretty straightforward.
And about the Windows 8 tablet:
Takes some getting used to
“Takes some getting used to…”
“Pretty handy, once you get the hang of it…”
“The implementation is pretty tricky…”
LOL
The guy is a hack trying to make that tablet look acceptable. Watch the part about the copying the image. He states that they are similar. Yet, only the iPad could copy the image. This happened over and over in the video. Look at the sinking with his account. He states that he doesn’t know who’s stuff that is. Do you want your kids and family openly shared with strangers.
Again, this is a hack video to promote that not ready for release Windows 8 OS for tablets and I assume their smart phones.
Apples implementation is both intuitive and straight forward – and by far the simplest for which all other OS will always need to compare with – it is the Standard.
The truth is seeing a child at the age of 1 navigating and actively using an iPad. It is the computer for the rest of us.
As for the mobile power user – lets wait for OSXML 10.8.6 on the AirSlate by 2013 the only company to build a iPad Killer will be Apple themselves.
Hmmm. It seems MS has achieved some minimal success. I do like the functionality of viewing and using email and another app simultaneously. However, the indistinct blocks in primary colors is dog butt ugly.
Why? Multi-tasking is SOOOO over-rated. You can’t work on more than one app at a time anyway. This “using two apps simultaneously” is a myth: people can only put their attention on one activity at a time. You cannot read an email and a web page at the same time, you have to switch back and forth even if both are presented to you simultaneously.
There are benefits to having documents/pages from more than one program visible at once.
On a desktop or laptop.
On a tablet (*especially* smaller-screen ones, or smartphones), it really makes no sense. The tech demo of a Playbook running several videos at the same time while the task switcher was active was a nice piece of fluff designed to impress those who don’t think beyond “ooh, techy” (as opposed to the “ooh, shiny” Apple users are accused of of doing). NO ONE is does that regularly on desk/laptops, or at best it’s an insignificant percentage in niche cases. So why should tablet users care that it *can* do that, they’ll never actually use that “feature”.
If you all remember the reason that Steve Jobs and Apple chose not use multi-tasking, it sucks the life out of the battery. That is why Apple is using Push and not multi-tasking in their iOS devices.
Did you notice the video never talked about battery life!
Agreed nice idea – to have mail and your browser side-byside — but is it really needed.
iPad; for a lack of better words, “is the lowest denominator for optimal performance – yet simplicity while remaining the most secure and safest for privacy.” — The iPad is a computer regarded by the DNA of Apple it’s – a device for the rest of us – it simply works and wonderfully it performs.
Why is the Window’s machine plugged in? Also the thing looks huge and thick. I’m guessing it probably heavy as well.
Getting used to? Didn’t look to intuitive to me.
The battery drains like mad!
Kind of defeats the idea of on the road mobile device – huh?
Can you smell the fear?
I read through a few hundred comments on the Consumer Beta last night – upshot: 2/3 (of diehard Windows users) said, “Not intuitive, will fail with the desktop crowd.”
It’s clear MSFT has to move forward (or away from desktop) to remain relevant, but untethering themselves from their legacy cash flow will be painful at best.
Give MS some credit, at least–at long last they’re at least *trying* to break away from their aged desktop Windows interface, and trying things that aren’t a direct rip-off of Apple.
This interface is geek’s paradise. The guy is actually wrong; Win 8 does NOT use many different gestures (compared to the iPad); it essentially mostly uses just one single gesture — swipe (swipe from top, from bottom, from side). None of these swipes are logical or intuitive (what would lead a person to try and swipe by beginning that swipe from outside the screen???).
It may do well, depending mostly on hardware price. If someone like Amazon decides to subsidise it (via advertising, bundled sales or whatever), it might gain some traction. Hopefully, such traction would further cannibalise Android and dilute the non-iPad part of the tablet market.
Agreed. He’s gushing over Win 8’s swipes (really not even a gesture), but basically it’s just one swipe in a different direction to call up the same things that Apple separates into different swipes or gestures.
I think you’re correct in that it will just fight with Android tablets for the few who, for whatever reason, don’t want an iPad. The real story will be who will develop apps for it, and will Win 8 every get a good mix of apps.
YES – swipe up – swipe down – wow. Gestures galore? That’s not going to feel well – it’s chaos.
I do commend Microsoft, (though it still sucks) for not adopting the Android OS. Microsoft has taylor developed without skinning what Google stole – and fashioned a different approach all on their own.
Ha – and they don’t get it – like Rim and Samsung and Google – blinded. They think a tablet needs to be this complicated hardware and function like the desktops.
Seems telling to me that the Windblows tablet is plugged-in to an outlet and the iPad2 is not.
Maybe it’s time for you to get that iPad 3? LOL
The video works on my 3GS
Gotta hand it to Microsoft. They didn’t copy the iPad.
Having said that, who would want that over complicated interface?
Does that tablet have retractable wheels for toting around? Big battery, big screen, Core 2 Duo chip, 35 minute battery life, what more do you want?
Windows 8 tablet is the pig with lipstick. They’ve tried to sell Windows on a tablet before and it didn’t work out, and here they are at it again. “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” – Einstein
Looks quite confusing, but if it supports Office and there is no iPad version, then it will sell to business users.
That Windows machine is a huge clunker . . . no thanks.
Why was the windows tablet plugged in through the whole demo? The guy seemed a little biased toward the windows tablet.
Looks like you would have a lot of things happening by accident just clicking – seems like that would make it too easy to quit your app by accident as using only 1 finger… just grab your tablet and your app quits
What’s the point? Microsoft missed music, players, search, smartphones, apps, retail, and pretty much everything else for the last fifteen years. They’re so far behind, me-too efforts to catch up never make a dime, nor will it with a tablet OS.
Well said!
Not to defend MS, but smartphones and tablets were not things Microsoft “missed”–they had products out in both categories (operating systems, anyway) that were comparable to competitors at the time, but were no match when Apple came onto the scene to school every incumbent player on how things things should be done.
There are some fantastic additions from the Windows team. The requirement to have three modes for an app: Wide-screen, side-bar, and 16:10 (like iPad)
Some very slick elements like the Charm bar and stuff.
I’m a fan of the 16:9 display for tablets.
Windows 8:
Swipe from the top to close apps.
Swipe from the bottom for a menu.
Swipe from the right for another menu.
Swipe from the left for multitasking.
Move from left to place apps in task bar. “The implementation is a little tough, but you get used to it.”
Oh yes, this is VERY intuitive. Give the Windows tablet to someone who has never used it before to see how intuitive it really is.
yes because if you give someone an ipad who has never used iOS before is going to instinctively know that double pressing your home button brings up your multitask bar and a 4 finger pinch brings you to your homescreen and that a 4 finger swipe changes your app, because they are just sooo intuitive im going to know those gestures instantly without any prompt or instruction
I never knew you could 4 finger pinch and I can use the iPad just fine. And the multi-tasking self adjusting apps – is not important as most people using even a pc over load running apps never quitting and freeing memory.
Until the all functioning Siri computer arrives and you just completely tell it to do everything — iPad will remain the MOST INTUITIVE device for a long while to come.
It both troubles and annoys me that David Pogue is salivating over this- then again, I’ve felt for some time he’s been trying to make the Windows bullies stop beating on him for being an “Apple fanboy.” It’s telling that his one response in the comments to his article was to cite his previous positive spins on Microsoft products. I myself don’t understand why mobile and desktop have to be exactly the same, and who would want a touchscreen desktop- at least regarding the monitor. Once again, the Windows 8 desktop is Windows with a mask on. I can imagine the mess that’ll be in the Real World.
Independent of the size of the Windows slab, Windows metro is functional and yes, I do like the split screen functionality as well. I don’t like the tile colors but at least they work. Perhaps those tile colors can be changed.
I hope the future iOS incorporates something like a split screen.
I welcome Windows Metro to the tablet world. At least, you guys aren’t the scum of the mobile world like Samsung/Goolge/Motorola.
Keep it up!
The comments on the other site is great. They spend their time comparing ATV vs. Xbox and FaceTime vs. Skype, not the interface of the two OS’s.
I love how how he kept trying to say iOS was less intuitive and striped down, yet he had some problems understanding Win 8. The calandra and browser apps had less functionality and the contacts had people he did not know. At the end when all the old Win windows came up for no reason was great, however it is in Bata.
The size of that thing was crazy. I thought Android tables were hard to hold, I would have loved to see him try to hold that up and do work. How long it would work with out being plugged in would be interesting. It would be great to see it works on a ARM chip, that will be the real comparison.
OK, the windows 8 version seems decent, but a lot more complicated than the iPad. You will need a ‘windows8 tablet for Dummies” to run it.
But, overall, MS is in the right direction and way ahead of the android flavors.
I can see some good competition coming from this tablet, especially since we haven’t see the final version of windows 8 or the new iPad yet.
That Windows UI is sooooo butt-ugly (fugly, if you will) but not surprising in the least.
Hey, have fun with your Windows tablet! I’ll stick with my lame iPad 3 thankyouverymuch ;^)
I hope Win8 fails miserably and that Apple copies the (few) good features. Payback time bitches.
What a joke… Some of my favorite lines:
“…it’s pretty handy once you get the hang of it”
when loading a web page in the background”it loaded up well, partially loaded up”
When syncing contacts”…nope these are complete strangers”
When their website loads incorrectly “…well, nobody’s perfect”
when attempting to save an image”windows 8 there’s no option, on the ipad it’s a little easier”
when comparing calendars “iPad is less intuitive but it have more leather”
“iPad is less intuitive but, but more straight forward”
“Metro is giving iPad some pretty stiff competition”
This guy contradicts himself in the same sentences at some points, claims that reading mail as you perform another task is “amazing” and the fact that he never even mentions the windows tablet requires constant power via an outlet blows me away.
There is no way anybody can take this microshill seriously…
I could see how sliding 4 fingers as if moving a book on a table is no where near has intuitive as sliding one finger in an unmarked area to display an unknown sidebar, but doing it somewhere else results in a different sidebar with different functions.
Menus hiding on the side is brought to you by the same company that gave us impossible-to-find basic functions in a hidden menu that can only be accessed by right clicking on specific unmarked areas, and they also brought us the highly intuitive quitting your computer by clicking on “Start”.
But, let’s be fair, Microsoft has been able to maintain its consistency after 10 years of increasing complexity; it still takes twice as many taps/clicks in Windows as it does in OS X.
Microsoft deserves credit for the effort involved in avoiding the entire GUI and graphics departments while simultaneously programming needless complexities in an effort to keep the legacy user experience the same. Besides, the extra CPU functions for a better GUI would remove the necessary power to run the virus scanning apps.
The problem MS is going to have with Win 8 for tablets is that MS can’t ever get away from trying to make all devices do all things. If it runs Office apps, they’ll be so bloated with features you will never use on a tablet that it will drag down performance.
Plus, notice all these swipes from each side of the screen to bring things onto the screen — settings, menu this, menu that. Typical MS — make it more complicated, and never streamline things. MS seems to think that people want to constantly access remote settings.