Review: Radical Windows 8 reinvention painful to use on traditional computers
THE new Windows 8 - launched today amid a $1.5 billion marketing blitz - is a daunting and at times bamboozling experience.
THE new Windows 8 - launched today amid a $1.5 billion marketing blitz - is a daunting and at times bamboozling experience.
Unlike previous releases, this is not simply an update of the familiar Windows operating system.
It is a radical reworking of Microsoft's flagship product, aimed at catching up to Apple and Google in the booming tablet and smartphone markets.
The new Windows 8 interface - a screen full of coloured tiles that represent software programs and apps - makes sense on touch-screen tablets and phones.
But for the 95 per cent of us who will use Windows 8 on desktops and laptops, be warned: there is pain ahead.
I've been using a preview edition for about three months and have found it necessary to relearn simple tasks and memorise keyboard short-cuts.
After installing Windows 8, the first thing you should do is search the Web for “Windows 8 keyboard shortcuts”, print the list and tape to the wall. Memorise important short-cuts such as Windows-Q for search and Windows-I for settings.
You will also need to relearn common tasks that have been changed to suit touch-screens.
For instance, you no longer close programs by clicking an “X” in the top right-hand corner. Now you click-and-hold at the top of the screen and drag down.
To access functions such as settings or search (these are now called “charms”), you now move your cursor to the top right-hand corner to reveal a menu.
While Microsoft really wants you to get used to those coloured tiles, it has not yet completely abandoned the “classic” Windows look-and-feel.
Hit the “Windows” button and you will find yourself in the familiar Windows desktop - except for one frustrating thing. No more Start button. To find your programs you have to hit the Windows button again and return to the coloured tiles screen. (Or hit Windows-Q for search).
If you prefer working in the classic Windows mode, there are third-party programs that bring back the Start button. Search the Web for “Classic Shell” or “Start8”.
There are a lot of benefits to the new Windows 8: a nifty app store, much faster start-up, a revamped Internet Explorer Web browser, integrated online services such as Skype and Skydrive and improved security.
Windows 8 also offers, for the first time, the convenience of running a standard Windows experience across all your devices: mobile, tablet, desktop and laptop.
Are these benefits worth the pain of relearning how to use your computer?
If you're a tinkerer or if you’re thinking of buying one of the new Microsoft Surface tablets or Windows 8 phones, the answer is probably yes.
But for the average household with a family PC and a laptop or two, I recommend sticking with Windows 7.
- David Higgins is News Limited's National Tablet Editor