Is Windows 8 Ahead of Time

Microsoft is known for introducing some products late and some products too early. But that is very common for a company of that size. I remember in 2003, I purchased my first Toshiba tablet loaded with Windows XP Tablet edition. It was a 13 inch with 4GB RAM and plenty of storage. I loved flipping it as a tablet and use pen and ink to write on it. I remember taking it to meetings, writing notes on it and later coming back to my desk and work on it. What you can OneNote today was already on this tablet.

I believe that was too early for a tablet. I am not sure why but Microsoft stopped it. Or was it some political decision some ex-Microsoft employees are talking about. Whatever the reason may be, but it was a big mistake.

Ten years later today, all we see is tablet. Laptops are tablets. PCs are tablets and even your phone is pretty much a Tablet. Give credit to Mr. Jobs and his iPod, iPhone and iPad products and they got it right.

On Oct 26, Microsoft started selling Windows 8 and its first tablet, Surface. Surface runs Windows RT and Windows 8 Pro operating systems. Surface Windows 8 Pro is expected to be available on Feb 9.

When I visited Microsoft Store, all I saw was latest laptops from vendors including Dell, Toshiba, Acer, Sony, HP and others loaded with Windows 8 and touch screens. The question is, Do people really want to touch their laptop screens (via Business Insider)?

Well, I have two theories. One is good (for Microsoft) and one is not so good. Again, these are my personal theories.

If I am a typical tablet user who loves using a tablet to browse the Internet, manage emails and demo some products, YES. I do want to touch my screen. I do like to touch my screen while I am traveling. I don't have room to open my laptop on an Airplane. I like to touch my laptop screen. Size? Smaller is better.

If I am a regular laptop user, I could careless. I personally hate touch. It is so not productive.

Alright, I have been using Windows 8 for over a year now. If you ask me, I have never used so called “metro mode” besides starting my laptop. Right away, I go to traditional Windows mode and that is where I have my applications installed with shortcuts and that is where I spent my most of the time. I hate when I build a Windows 8 app and it goes to metro mode and I have to be switch back to the traditional mode. But one thing I have noticed is, Windows 8 is much superior operating system its predecessors. It handles resources very well and I have never *never* seen a blue screen or crash.

I think where Microsoft got it wrong is dumping everybody on same train. They want me (a developer) to use to a touch screen laptop. They took away my productivity in Windows 8 (metro mode).

Will there be time when I need a touch PC? Not sure. But today, I do not want a touch screen laptop.

May be Windows 8 is for next generation where they will be used to touch and swipe. May be in near future, Visual Studio will be designed to work for touch and swipe actions. May be when Visual Studio will understand my voice commands and write code for me and do what I am thinking.