Windows 8 is Microsoft’s newest and greatest version of its popular operating system, due for final release this fall 2012. However with hundreds of millions of Windows 7 users considering an upgrade, a question remains as to whether the software is worth updating to?
In this brief guide we will compare the pros and cons of Windows 8 and why you should or shouldn’t consider the latest OS for your laptop or PC.
Windows 8 Pros
- New Start Screen – Windows 8 has a beautiful sleek looking custom home screen which is also really useful thanks to its unique live tiles design called Metro. Microsoft have replaced the old Desktop start button and replaced it with a full screen start screen that you can pin programs and apps to. It’s fast, easy to use and looks amazing.
- Touchscreen Compatible – Windows 7 did have touch screen abilities, but Windows 8 is Microsoft’s first truly touchscreen centric Operating System. Multi-touch support is included as standard. Everything from the Lock Screen to documents can be controlled on a touch device and Microsoft has even developed its own touch hardware tablets called Surface. Other manufacturers are working on releasing touchscreen Windows 8 devices later in 2012.
- Choice of Versions – Windows 8 will be available in different versions, depending on the user and hardware. For touch screen tablet devices for example, Windows 8 RT will be used to power apps and browsing. While business users will likely opt for Windows 8 Pro which will run full power traditional applications like Adobe Photoshop.
- Apps – Windows 8 will ship with Microsoft’s new app store. Thousands of developers are currently working on new apps which will allow you to enjoy full screen games and popular mobile apps on your laptop or tablet.
- Faster Boot Times – Windows 8 is fast and not just on new hardware. Microsoft has made so many improvements that Windows 8 will likely load much faster than Windows 7 currently does on your computer.
- Better Search – If you currently keep losing your documents or can’t remember which folder you put your important files in then Windows 8 will make your life so much easier. From the start screen you don’t even need click anything; simply start typing to auto-search your PC for that document or program with instant live results.
Windows 8 Cons
- Learning Curve – Windows 8’s Metro Design and App experience may be fast and beautiful but they also require a learning process. For example if you want to open the lock screen, you have to drag the image upwards. While this may be intuitive on a tablet, it’s not so easy to understand on a desktop PC with mouse. Features like this can be confusing at first.
- Switching between Metro and Desktop – On Windows 8 Home & Pro, you will still often need to access your traditional desktop. While there is a dedicated Desktop Tile to click, you will often need to return to the Metro Start Screen for example to launch a new program. While this is easy enough done by pressing the “Windows” Key or moving the cursor towards the bottom left of the screen, you will find you have to keep on switching between Desktop and Start Screen, which can be less counterproductive.
- Metro Start Screen designed better for touch than mouse – Windows 8’s start screen is easy and speedy to navigate on a touch screen, however less easy to navigate using a traditional mouse. You can use the scroll wheel to move along your apps left to right but using your finger is much faster. So if you don’t have a touchscreen monitor, then parts of Windows 8 navigation may be slower on a traditional keyboard and mouse setup.
We hope that these Pro’s and Con’s will help you understand some of Window 8’s features better and make a decision whether to upgrade to Microsoft’s latest operating system.
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