Two sides, one release
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a release of Windows divide the technology journalism industry this much. Sure, there’s a fair bit of controversy every time Microsoft boils up a new release, but Windows 8 has generated a special new kind of uproar this year.
Every website seems to have a spin on things this year, so I thought I would get a list together of what side of the argument publications are falling on. I’ve selected the list randomly and have not intentionally left out reviews. If you feel like there’s one that should be included, let me know.
Engadget - Mixed
“Windows 8 is a considerably better tablet operating system than any previous version. […] However, it’s still a clumsier desktop OS than Windows 7. That’s a problem Microsoft must fix before release.”
The Verge - Positive
“Windows 8 Release Preview feels very close to a finished product. […] Even in its current state it feels like something you could install and use full-time.”
Techcrunch - Mixed
“Microsoft says Metro and the desktop are meant to work together, but there is little evidence of that in the current beta release. […] There is plenty of good stuff in here – and for me, that outweighs the quirks.”
Mashable - Negative(ish)
“Metro’s entire design aesthetic is based on scrolling horizontally. Why, then, when I scroll up and down, does the screen scroll left to right? This is an insane choice.”
Redmond Mag (Mary Jo Foley) - Negative
“Microsoft basically had two OS options going into the next-generation tablet race: existing Windows (retrofit with a touch-centric UI) or the Windows Phone OS. It went with the former – the "safe” choice, but not necessarily the right one.“
WinSuperSite - Positive
"I’ll make the case in my coming Windows 8 review that this OS is nothing less than a new mobile platform that also happens to run legacy Windows applications, a technological tour de force whose import is being ignored because of understandable but ultimately pointless arguments over the dichotomy between the new Metro environment and the desktop.”
Note: I think it goes without saying that Paul is somewhat of a Microsoft Evangelist. He seems to be the only one with the opinion that the experience is entirely coherent.
ZDNet - Negative
“On the face of it, the Metro UI looks good. It’s new and shiny and refreshing, and it looks like it could actually be quite usable. If you’ve used Windows Phone then the interface feel familiar. Things feel good. And then you start to use it.”
VentureBeat - Positive
“We need to recognize that personal computers are undergoing a fundamental shift in computing usage.”
ZDNet (Ed Bott) - Positive
“If you’ve managed to retain an open mind about Windows 8, the Release Preview goes a long way toward making sense of Windows 8’s controversial design decisions.”
Slate - Mixed
“You aren’t ready for Windows 8. It’s coming anyway, a slow-moving freight train of massive change and dread, an enormous update that will sow turmoil in the lives of millions of people around the world.”
Note: I actually really like how this article is written. It doesn’t peg Windows 8 as bad, but explores why there will be resistance in the market and how it could fail.
Business Insider - Negative
“I’m afraid Microsoft has no idea what it’s walking into.”
Me?
“As Apple drifts closer and closer to having a unified tablet and desktop OS and ridding itself of the “half desktop/half tablet” monstrosity that Microsoft has birthed, perhaps they are drifting towards finally snatching away some of that precious marketshare Windows has held onto for so long.”
I’ve given it before, but I really think that Microsoft over-promised and is going to massively under-deliver. Windows 8 is not what it started out to be, and is nowhere near where it should be. I think they’ve missed the mark, and the experience is not only incoherent but far off finished. It certainly won’t ruin Microsoft, but I think that it could drive consumers further into Apple’s territory as they become frustrated with the incomplete, confusing feel of the platform.
The thing is, we could all be wrong. Maybe, when Microsoft releases Windows 8 upon the world, consumers embrace it with open arms and it sells like hot cakes. It’s hard to tell how it’ll really do in the market from how the tech world is reacting, since we’re all so savvy. Time will tell.
This article is being updated on an ongoing basis with further viewpoints as they are released.