Windows 8 for Consumers

I was considering what was the best way to write a review of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview and thought it might be best to split it into four different articles, with each one being aimed at a different type of Windows 8.  So across Windows8News and our sister site gHacks I’ll write in the next couple of days about Windows 8 for Consumers and Enthusiasts (at Windows8News) and for IT Pros and Business (on gHacks).

It is appropriate to write reviews now too and pass judgement as Microsoft have declared Windows 8 feature locked, something that was also done with the Windows 7 beta and that hasn’t come as a surprise to anyone.  In this first part of the review I want to look at how consumers might use Windows 8 and what there is in it for them.

In a way consumers have always had the hardest time with Windows.  The operating system was originally designed for business and enterprise users after all.  They’ve had to get used to drop down menus, business productivity suites at home (many of which offer much more power, functionality and as a result, buttons and options, than the home user would ever want or need) and an interface focused primarily on getting work done.  At no point since the creation of Windows by Microsoft have consumers had an easy time of things.

Now that is all set to change with what can be argued is an entirely consumer-focused operating system.  It’s still not going to be a completely easy ride for consumers though because with a new UI comes a new learning curve.  Some people might be resistant to this, some people such as the elderly who have had trouble learning how to use a computer for the first time might not want to have to start learning it all over again.

This problem will reduce over time and more and more consumers move to touch screen devices, let’s face it there’s not that much consumers want to do with computers that requires a full-time hardware keyboard anyway.  For the moment though, and on existing computers, some of the mouse and keyboard controls are fiddly.

As a result we can expect a plethora of help and how-to guides and books to appear in bookshops and on magazine stands when Windows 8 goes on sale, including my own “Windows 8: Out of the Box” from O’Reilly, which will of course be excellent and much better than the competition 

Looking at the consumer computing market however it’s very clear that any interface learning curve will not be something that anybody will worry about.  Just look at how people have taken to smartphones, Android tablets, iPads and Windows Phones without quibble and are using them happily.  So people using Windows 8 for leisure will have everything going for them.

One of, if not by far the best feature for consumers will be the abaility to take your Internet favourites and Windows 8 preferences with you wherever you go.  Simply by logging into a Windows 8 computer with your Live ID the system will automatically download these for you, so it will be like working on your own computer.  The privacy implications of this feature have yet to be determined and it is something that I will be looking into.  What happens to your Internet favourites etc on a computer you will no longer use and that’s owned by somebody else?  Will they have access to them etc..?  For now though we can assume that Windows 8 is safe and secure for consumers.

The inclusion of anti-virus, however difficult Microsoft seem to have made it to find, is also something that will give people extra peace of mind.  In fact the whole experience of using Windows 8 is that only the things you actually want to do are in the foreground, with everything else pushed backwards, out of sight.  As an experience in how to create a truly consumer-focused operating system Windows 8 seems right on track.

One of the areas where Windows 8 will truly lead the tablet revolution is the includion of sensible multi-user profiles.  This is something Windows users have always enjoyed but none of the other tablet operating systems currently support it.  I say currently because we can probably expect Android to bring this feature in with a future edition of the OS.

So for the first part of this review, we can call Windows 8 a win and a resounding one at that.

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