Microsoft offers a first look at Windows 8.1 in YouTube video

[David Tom]

It’s hard to believe that Windows 8, a product that has sold over 100 million copies over its short 7-month lifespan, can be considered a disappointment. However, for a company that has literally hundreds of millions of computers and tablets at their disposal, that seems to be the case.

Microsoft’s response to the slow sales is to re-launch the software in the form of Windows 8.1, ironing out some of the major kinks and criticisms that users faced. Through a YouTube video starring Jensen Harris, Microsoft’s director of program management for the Windows User Experience, we finally get a sneak peak of the update.

Several of the improvements have to do with tile organization. Instead of being restricted to just two different sizes, Microsoft is releasing two new options – a giant square and a tiny square. These additions might seem inconsequential, but they should actually make the Start screen more user-friendly. For example, it will now be easier to differentiate between more important applications and those that are hardly used at all.

A secondary feature is the ability to transfer tiles from the All Apps screen to the Start screen with a single touch. The creation and naming of app groups has also been simplified, allowing users to drag several apps  into a new collection, simultaneously.

One of the biggest complaints was regarding the lack of a Start button – a feature that was first launched almost 20 years ago on Windows 95.  In order to appease the traditionalist community, Microsoft has decided to bring this back under the name “Start tip”, but only partially. Instead of showing the old Start menu, clicking on the new Start button will take users to the tiled home screen, where they can then select which program they wish to run.

Furthermore, Windows 8.1 will reportedly allow users to customize their lock screen. Not only can you set any picture as a backdrop, but you can even create your own slideshow that will cycle through any pictures located on SkyDrive. Microsoft plans to release several more backgrounds and color combinations for the Start screen, some of which will even be animated. PC Mag covers some more changes coming with 8.1 here.

Windows 8.1 will be released to the public later this year as a free update for Windows 8 users, with a preview version slated to launch on June 26 at the company's Build developer conference.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/52810-microsoft-offers-a-first-look-at-windows-81-in-youtube-video.html

 

[cliffordcooley]

I'm sorry, I can't deal with how the Start Screen looks.
You guys are gonna have to go on with out me.

 

[trparky]

Blah blah blah...

Once again, Microsoft isn't listening to what the customers want. I am a desktop user, I want a desktop OS; not this OS that's trying to be both a mobile and desktop OS and failing at both functions. I have a desktop and an Android phone, there is a reason I have two devices. They serve different purposes.

Guess that I'll be sticking with Windows 7 for much longer than I thought I would be. Windows 8 and by extension 8.1, is garbage for traditional desktop users.

 

[Guest]

hahaha.....Jensen Harris should be fired for not listening to the users in the first place.
I am so over Microsoft ! They are a dinosaur except for business desktops and servers !

 

[drpepperdude]

Blah blah blah...

Once again, Microsoft isn't listening to what the customers want. I am a desktop user, I want a desktop OS; not this OS that's trying to be both a mobile and desktop OS and failing at both functions. I have a desktop and an Android phone, there is a reason I have two devices. They serve different purposes.

Guess that I'll be sticking with Windows 7 for much longer than I thought I would be. Windows 8 and by extension 8.1, is garbage for traditional desktop users.

Windows 8 desktop is far greater than windows 7. Windows 7 feels sluggish compared to Windows 8 desktop. But the start screen on windows 8 lacks organization and I don't really like the appearance. Guess that will change with the new update since there will be more customization. But I didn't like the start screen in any of the previous windows either.

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

Blah blah blah...

Once again, Microsoft isn't listening to what the customers want. I am a desktop user, I want a desktop OS; not this OS that's trying to be both a mobile and desktop OS and failing at both functions. I have a desktop and an Android phone, there is a reason I have two devices. They serve different purposes.

Guess that I'll be sticking with Windows 7 for much longer than I thought I would be. Windows 8 and by extension 8.1, is garbage for traditional desktop users.

You know, you're right, but pretend it's 2017. What will you be using then for your computer needs? Right now we're watching PC sales decline while tablets and smartphones continue to go up. Some people think the future of computing may be a phone (or tablet) and a instead of a PC we'll just put that phone in a docking station. No more need for a home PC at all for the average user. PCs may be for power users only. Maybe MS thinks this is a possibility and wants us to get used to using an interface that translates across platforms.

 

[Nick D]

Microsoft said Vista was great even in the face of every news article discussing how it was not well received. I read that the large sales figures are often contact based. so if a large corporation wants a discount, they sign a contact that says they are committed to the next version of windows. Microsoft includes this into it's sales figures. Even if no corporate version of windows 8 exists. there are also the many OEM copies bundled with unsold computers that may also be added to boost sales numbers.

 

[yukka]

It would be awesome if the start screen had a translucent background, actually if the tiles just superimposed over the desktop so you click the desktop apps running behind them. Also if the tiles had weight and you could just pull them all aside like a pair of curtains to get to your desktop apps underneath or if you could flick them into each other like marbles, scattering them everywhere just for the hell of it. That would be cool but MS aren't thinking like that, it's too important for the desktop and modern user interface sections to be separate to sell modern ui apps on the windows marketplace.

 

[Guest]

Nice but a use a desktop with no touch screen! I'll stick to 7!

 

[Guest]

Hmm didn't even show the new Start Button.How it looks and and works.. Just more modern ui stuff (Junk). They can have Vista 2,Me 2.. I will stay with 7 for now.

 

[Jad Chaar]

LOL that start screen dragon animation. That is sick xD.

 

[Railman]

I decided to watch the demonstration just to what the fuss is all about. Frankly there was nothing that hinted at business use. It just appeared to be a professionally produced version of a You Tube demonstration on how to configure the screen. Many of the functions demonstrated I would have expected in the original version of Windows 8. It does beg the question how much research was put into the Metro interface?

Frankly nothing to get exited about. I see no reason not to continue learning Linux.

 

[TheBigFatClown]

"Windows 8 desktop is far greater than windows 7. Windows 7 feels sluggish compared to Windows 8 desktop. But the start screen on windows 8 lacks organization and I don't really like the appearance. Guess that will change with the new update since there will be more customization. But I didn't like the start screen in any of the previous windows either."

I am amazed at how many people will pretend that the catastrophic UI, I.e. Metro, in Windows 8 does NOT exists because their system boots faster. By people's own admissions they are willing to endure the catastrophic UI for a small performance gain. Seriously, where is the common sense on this issue?

Now regarding the video.

First of all, I would like to request the permission from my peers to ***** slap that dumb cheesy smile off Mr. Kojak's face that seems present throughout the entire video. It looks like somebody woke him up early and rushed him into the video. I'll bet $10 he did a "Bill O'Reilly" right after they stopped rolling the cameras.

I think this video has brought fourth an epiphany in my mind. Watching this video from start-to-finish not only reconfirmed to myself that I have no interest in ever using Windows 8 on a desktop...it made those convictions even stronger. Windows 8 is a tablet operating system, through and through. And that, apparently, has not changed one ounce in Windows 8.1.

Points of interest to note about the video. The word 'beautiful' was used frequently so I think that was a big focus for Microsoft's 8.1 update. Also, the keyboard/mouse was never used once in the video. Which again drives home the fact that Windows 8 is a tablet OS with a desktop experience hiding in the closet like a teenager with acne at a frat party.

Another thing I noticed in the video is that it appears Microsoft wants the end-user to have the ability to do anything from anywhere. Which, to me, is kind of retarded. It once again fails to realize that the ability to organize things in certain places does still have worth. Talk about encouraging the ADD in people. In Microsoft's never-ending quest to make Windows 8 easier to use it comes off as nothing but a cluster**** of information being concentrated in a single screen. The simplistic has become overly complex and overly busy. I would argue that this design in Windows 8.1 only aggravates ADD more in people who suffer from it.

This video did NOTHING to make me want Windows 8 on a desktop computer and made me all the happier with my unwavering decision to eschew Windows 8 all together from the day of it's unholy inception through the day of it's unholy birth to it's updated status.

I have to say I am with Mr. Cooley on this one. Please go on without me. Don't worry about us poor dying Windows 7 users. We will make it....some way....somehow....we will go on...we will endure the 3 extra seconds of boot-time...we will endure Windows 7 until the day of its death(possibly longer)...you must do what's right for yourselves.

Windows 8 is dead to me.

Edit: Oh just some food for thought for the Microsoft team. This post was written from the perspective of 1 consumer using Windows 7 Ultimate at home. I don't see Windows 8 having a snowballs chance in hell of being used in a work environment. But if anybody knows of any major corporations that are brave enough to try this, please post that information. It would be interesting to follow these companies and see what becomes of it.

 

[Wagan8r]

I'm sorry, I can't deal with how the Start Screen looks.
You guys are gonna have to go on with out me.

Please let us. We'd welcome it. Sadly, you keep tugging at our heels, giving us your ever persistent negativity. We get it. You don't like Windows 8, and nothing is going to ever sway you. For the rest of us who actually appreciate Windows 8 and the direction that Microsoft is moving, you're a real stick-in-the-mud. I, for one, wholly support the Modern UI for its simplicity, elegance, and artistic expression. Do I have some gripes? Of course. But simply because the OS doesn't fit my own/your own personal definition of what an operating system should be, doesn't mean that it isn't good.

As a software engineer, it's irritating when people want only what they think they want and are unwilling to learn something new even though it may be better for them in the end. I suspect the lion's share of Windows 8 naysayers fall into such a category.

 

[TheBigFatClown]

Please let us. We'd welcome it. Sadly, you keep tugging at our heels, giving us your ever persistent negativity. We get it. You don't like Windows 8, and nothing is going to ever sway you. For the rest of us who actually appreciate Windows 8 and the direction that Microsoft is moving, you're a real stick-in-the-mud. I, for one, wholly support the Modern UI for its simplicity, elegance, and artistic expression. Do I have some gripes? Of course. But simply because the OS doesn't fit my own/your own personal definition of what an operating system should be, doesn't mean that it isn't good.

As a software engineer, it's irritating when people want only what they think they want and are unwilling to learn something new even though it may be better for them in the end. I suspect the lion's share of Windows 8 naysayers fall into such a category.

Why does this post sound like a politician trying to pass a new law by telling the citizens they don't know what they want? Hilarious stuff I must say.

Classic line: "It's irritating when people want only what the think they want". Damn consumers, only thinking they want televisions when I know that they are evil. Wagan8r must be a troll. Of course that's just me being nice. More like a communist statement to be truthful. Do people really think like this? Oh wait, yeah there are 500 more just like him in Congress. Not to mention the engineers at Microsoft who know what the consumers 'really' want.

So when your customer is screaming at the top of his lungs that he doesn't want your product anymore you should just ignore him. He just doesn't know what he 'really' wants. LOL.

 

[veLa]

I'm sorry, I can't deal with how the Start Screen looks.
You guys are gonna have to go on with out me.

As a software engineer, it's irritating when people want only what they think they want and are unwilling to learn something new even though it may be better for them in the end.

As a software engineer, maybe you should start designing things the way the users would like to use them instead of the way you want us to use them. You're facing a problem software engineers discovered very early on, the users are the ones who decide what's best not you.

 

[avoidz]

That video did nothing more to endear me to the Windows 8 start screen. It's still a big garish mess made for touchscreens. They've still made no significant improvements for desktop users.

 

[Puiu]

They just destroyed search for ever.....

 

[NTAPRO]

Microsoft is good at trolling lol

 

[raybk]

All the new "features" mentioned are really rubbish.
A new feature that you can resize, oh my god! Resize is new feature!
How about resizing an Apps and let several Apps visible on the same screen? I hate full screen Apps!!!

 

[Wagan8r]

Why does this post sound like a politician trying to pass a new law by telling the citizens they don't know what they want? Hilarious stuff I must say.

Classic line: "It's irritating when people want only what the think they want". Damn consumers, only thinking they want televisions when I know that they are evil. Wagan8r must be a troll. Of course that's just me being nice. More like a communist statement to be truthful. Do people really think like this? Oh wait, yeah there are 500 more just like him in Congress. Not to mention the engineers at Microsoft who know what the consumers 'really' want.

So when your customer is screaming at the top of his lungs that he doesn't want your product anymore you should just ignore him. He just doesn't know what he 'really' wants. LOL.

Stand in awe and reverence, everyone, for we are truly in the presence of the Sage of Sages! It's amazing how well you know me and the people with whom I identify the most, right down to my political beliefs! For truly, only one such as yourself could have been so insightful from but a mere comment!

As a software engineer, maybe you should start designing things the way the users would like to use them instead of the way you want us to use them. You're facing a problem software engineers discovered very early on, the users are the ones who decide what's best not you.

It's not quite that simple. Yes, ultimately the customer is right, as he is the one holding the money. However, just because the user wants something, doesn't mean it is the best way to do said "something".

Let me give you an analogy. Suppose a customer goes to a restaurant day after day and orders a bowl of tomato soup with crackers, but doesn't know that he could get a grilled cheese sandwich instead of the crackers, free of charge. If nobody tells him, he will continue to get his soup with crackers and be happy. However, giving him exactly what he says he wants may be a disservice to him, as it is quite likely he would prefer to have a grilled cheese sandwich. So, the waiter informs him that he can swap his crackers for the sandwich and when it arrives, he stares at it for a bit and then sends it back because he didn't realize he couldn't eat it with a spoon and "spoon are always better," he says. Or better still, the customer says that he's never had a grilled cheese sandwich and doesn't ever want to try one because it has cheese in it, and he heard from a reputable source, who he can't remember, that cheese is the number one transmitter of mad cow disease.

When I get a feature request, it's always the "what" that is important, not necessarily the "how". What our customer is after is an enjoyable lunch containing tomato soup and a side dish. If the "how" is done in a manner that is consistent with established conventions and intuitive, the customer will forget how he originally wanted it. If they flat out refuse your work simply because it's different from what they expected, they are a closed-minded and difficult customer. Another thing that "early developers" learned is that when a customer said, "build me X, Y, and Z", and it was built with exactly X, Y, and Z, as soon as the customer tried it, they'd come back and say, "Oh, well actually, X and Y don't work as well as we thought it would, and Z is now obsolete to us".

There needs to be open-mindedness on both sides of the table so that you can create something that aligns with your product vision and provides value to the customer. However, you will never be able to please everyone.

 

[LNCPapa]

I'll keep it simple and say that most of the time customers don't really know what they want. I worked in a help desk many years ago and that was the biggest problem I saw back then - they don't know what they need or want and don't know how to describe anything. All they know is that it always worked when they did it this way and now it doesn't. Why did it have to change? Win98 was great as it was so there was no need to change.

There are certain positions and departments I've avoided due to direct contact with end users because of these exact reasons. I am usually a very patient man, except when it comes to computers and drivers (I have bad road rage).

Wagan8r's last post was well thought out and not at all offensive in my opinion. Just take the time to read and process it without feeling persecuted.

 

[Guest]

"It’s hard to believe that Windows 8, a product that has sold over 100 million copies over its short 7-month lifespan, can be considered a disappointment. However, for a company that has literally hundreds of millions of computers and tablets at their disposal, that seems to be the case."

It's the ergonomics. The reason why the Start menu has existed for almost 20 years (Windows 95 to Windows 7), is quite simply because it works so well with a mouse and keyboard. As do hierarchical menu's (Programs -> Accessories/Applications/Games/), etc.

I for one will not be downgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 8.1. MS got it right with Windows XP SP3 - then promptly screwed it up for Vista. Then got it right again with Windows 7 - then promptly screwed it up for Vista.

If Microsoft didn't keep trying to "fix" what simply isn't broken in the first place, they wouldn't keep running into consumer backlashes. It's pretty obvious the most efficient UI is quite simply the one everyone is used to working with. Would swapping a QWERTY keyboard for an obscure DVORAK layout then telling everyone they're stupid or "hate change" improve typing speeds? No.

 

[TheBigFatClown]

Stand in awe and reverence, everyone, for we are truly in the presence of the Sage of Sages! It's amazing how well you know me and the people with whom I identify the most, right down to my political beliefs! For truly, only one such as yourself could have been so insightful from but a mere comment!

Me a sage? LOL. If I am a sage how come I am not rich? I didn't know you were automatically classified as a sage these days if you possessed a spoonful of good ole common sense. But thanks for the compliment.

I have no clue as to what your political beliefs are. I made an analogy in the context of politics. But you in fact did make a communistic statement. Whether or not you are actually a communist was never discussed. Please don't take everything so literally brutha. Lighten up.

It's not quite that simple. Yes, ultimately the customer is right, as he is the one holding the money. However, just because the user wants something, doesn't mean it is the best way to do said "something".

Let me give you an analogy. Suppose a customer goes to a restaurant day after day and orders a bowl of tomato soup with crackers, but doesn't know that he could get a grilled cheese sandwich instead of the crackers, free of charge. If nobody tells him, he will continue to get his soup with crackers and be happy. However, giving him exactly what he says he wants may be a disservice to him, as it is quite likely he would prefer to have a grilled cheese sandwich. So, the waiter informs him that he can swap his crackers for the sandwich and when it arrives, he stares at it for a bit and then sends it back because he didn't realize he couldn't eat it with a spoon and "spoon are always better," he says. Or better still, the customer says that he's never had a grilled cheese sandwich and doesn't ever want to try one because it has cheese in it, and he heard from a reputable source, who he can't remember, that cheese is the number one transmitter of mad cow disease.

When I get a feature request, it's always the "what" that is important, not necessarily the "how". What our customer is after is an enjoyable lunch containing tomato soup and a side dish. If the "how" is done in a manner that is consistent with established conventions and intuitive, the customer will forget how he originally wanted it. If they flat out refuse your work simply because it's different from what they expected, they are a closed-minded and difficult customer. Another thing that "early developers" learned is that when a customer said, "build me X, Y, and Z", and it was built with exactly X, Y, and Z, as soon as the customer tried it, they'd come back and say, "Oh, well actually, X and Y don't work as well as we thought it would, and Z is now obsolete to us".

There needs to be open-mindedness on both sides of the table so that you can create something that aligns with your product vision and provides value to the customer. However, you will never be able to please everyone.

Three more paragraphs to re-iterate the same point you made before. Like we didn't hear it the first time. That you know what the customer wants more than he does. Guess what. If your customer is happy when he/she leaves your restaurant after he/she eats their crackers and soup then your business will be a success. If you sit there and argue with every customer that comes in and orders cheese and crackers for 30 minutes trying to convince him/her that he/she really wants a grilled cheese, they are going to eventually ***** slap you and leave. It's a very simple rule of business really. Give the customer what the customer wants. Result of adhering to this simple business principle? A happy customer and money in your pocket now and the next time they keep coming back for more.

Everyone now knows what Microsoft is serving. I have smelled it and I don't wanna any of it. Take it back to the ******* cook and give me my cheese and crackers. End of story.

 

[Nobina]

They don't want to give the user what he wants because they are too big to listen. Ofcourse, without consumers there would be no Microsoft. Consumers decide, but most of them are dumb.