Windows 8.1 - 1 Year later
So I took the opportunity to go back and review some of my previous posts and in particular my Windows 8.1 post - the most recent was back in March just prior to the Update 1 release.
In the post I asked two questions...
1. Can I use this day-to-day
2. Would I recommend this to others
So the answer to #1 is yes. All of my home and work computers now run Windows 8.1 and I have to say that Update 1 did a lot to improve the overall usability of Windows on a non-Surface device. Simple things like having a Window Close capability on a Modern app were very much appreciated.
Some other improvements like the updated "Start" menu were okay. The challenge I still have is that in my opinion MS made it harder for enthusiast folks to get to key tools we use, that we don't necessarily want on the desktop or in the task bar.
And if you have a more modern computer running Intel Core processors and SSD, then Win 8.1 is a no brainer. The one thing MS got very correct was the speed and stability of the OS. On the same hardware Windows 8.1 runs circles around Windows 7.
It's also very flexible. Since that March post - I have installed it on all of my machines including both my wife's touch screen all-in-one and my granddaughters desktop. All of the machines have been rock stable and there seems to be less care and feeding that with previous Windows versions.
Many of the native Modern apps have also improved - their features, stability and overall functionality are better.
With all of these good things, some things have still stayed the same - for example - while the number of applications available in the store have increased - there are actually very few that are appealing enough to install.
As I've stated before - if you remove all of the "Bing" apps - so news, sports, weather, finance, etc from the Modern apps portfolio it would be a very lonely place. And as with Windows Phone - many ISVs as well as bank, airlines, etc have not written Windows 8 Modern apps. Even companies like LinkedIn have not developed a Windows 8 Modern app. They haven't developed one for Apple's MacOS either, but I think it is telling about the potential future of Windows...and maybe even all desktop OS.
Anyway on to the 2nd question. Would I recommend Windows 8.1 to others ?
The answer is maybe. A lot depends on your use case as well as the future of Windows 8..
First - if you own an older machine - so think XP era - While Windows 8.1 may run on it - you really aren't going to see much of the benefits since Windows 8.1 was not really designed for your hardware. If you haven't upgraded your OS in the last 13 years - then you most likely never will. So don't go there.
Second - If you have a Windows Vista or 7 era device, then yes you will see some value in Windows 8.1. Especially if you've updated to SSD and new WiFi/Networking.
Third - if you in the market for a new machine - by all means it will run Windows 8.1 fine. I would not recommend buying a new machine and downgrading to Windows 7 - especially if your buying one with an SSD. But if you don't need a new machine immediately I would wait....
Here's why...
MS is getting ready to release public beta of "Threshold" - the next release of Windows - some have called it Windows 9. Whether that is true or not is still up for debate. But regardless of the name the reality is that Windows 8.1 is going away. From the current press timelines - somewhere around April 2015.
So while you can certainly still buy a new machine, please remember that there will a new OS release sometime next spring and most likely you'll want to go to it. Also by spring of 2015 you are going to see massive levels of improved performance and the SSD will become the norm.
Remember Windows 8 released on Oct 26, 2012 and will be nearly 30 months old by the time Threshold (i.e. Windows 9) will release. Looking back at MS's history that's actually about the normal rhythm. Sure there was a much larger gap from XP to Vista - nearly 5 years, but Vista to Windows 7 was about 32 months and Windows 7 to 8 was 39 months. I'll post about Threshold once I can load it, but I do expect it will be an improvement over Windows 8.1.
The bigger question will be - will it drive enough new demand for PCs, Laptops, Ultrabooks and Tablets. Many folks align Windows 8 to Vista - and from the market share numbers out there they may be right.
Many corporate folks are still trying to drag themselves forward to Windows 7 - which is already over 5 years old. Most if not all of those companies are skipping Windows 8 and looking forward to Threshold.
This is why I believe MS needs to go to a subscription model for Windows or offer a cloud based Windows Desktop. The days of the big general purpose OS release are dead. Folks don't line up in stores like they did for Windows 95 (remember the Start me up campaign).
This is why products like the Chromebook are becoming so popular. They're inexpensive and folks live in their browser and do all the work on the cloud.
MS needs to understand this or they are going to fade from the scene...
In the post I asked two questions...
1. Can I use this day-to-day
2. Would I recommend this to others
So the answer to #1 is yes. All of my home and work computers now run Windows 8.1 and I have to say that Update 1 did a lot to improve the overall usability of Windows on a non-Surface device. Simple things like having a Window Close capability on a Modern app were very much appreciated.
Some other improvements like the updated "Start" menu were okay. The challenge I still have is that in my opinion MS made it harder for enthusiast folks to get to key tools we use, that we don't necessarily want on the desktop or in the task bar.
And if you have a more modern computer running Intel Core processors and SSD, then Win 8.1 is a no brainer. The one thing MS got very correct was the speed and stability of the OS. On the same hardware Windows 8.1 runs circles around Windows 7.
It's also very flexible. Since that March post - I have installed it on all of my machines including both my wife's touch screen all-in-one and my granddaughters desktop. All of the machines have been rock stable and there seems to be less care and feeding that with previous Windows versions.
Many of the native Modern apps have also improved - their features, stability and overall functionality are better.
With all of these good things, some things have still stayed the same - for example - while the number of applications available in the store have increased - there are actually very few that are appealing enough to install.
As I've stated before - if you remove all of the "Bing" apps - so news, sports, weather, finance, etc from the Modern apps portfolio it would be a very lonely place. And as with Windows Phone - many ISVs as well as bank, airlines, etc have not written Windows 8 Modern apps. Even companies like LinkedIn have not developed a Windows 8 Modern app. They haven't developed one for Apple's MacOS either, but I think it is telling about the potential future of Windows...and maybe even all desktop OS.
Anyway on to the 2nd question. Would I recommend Windows 8.1 to others ?
The answer is maybe. A lot depends on your use case as well as the future of Windows 8..
First - if you own an older machine - so think XP era - While Windows 8.1 may run on it - you really aren't going to see much of the benefits since Windows 8.1 was not really designed for your hardware. If you haven't upgraded your OS in the last 13 years - then you most likely never will. So don't go there.
Second - If you have a Windows Vista or 7 era device, then yes you will see some value in Windows 8.1. Especially if you've updated to SSD and new WiFi/Networking.
Third - if you in the market for a new machine - by all means it will run Windows 8.1 fine. I would not recommend buying a new machine and downgrading to Windows 7 - especially if your buying one with an SSD. But if you don't need a new machine immediately I would wait....
Here's why...
MS is getting ready to release public beta of "Threshold" - the next release of Windows - some have called it Windows 9. Whether that is true or not is still up for debate. But regardless of the name the reality is that Windows 8.1 is going away. From the current press timelines - somewhere around April 2015.
So while you can certainly still buy a new machine, please remember that there will a new OS release sometime next spring and most likely you'll want to go to it. Also by spring of 2015 you are going to see massive levels of improved performance and the SSD will become the norm.
Remember Windows 8 released on Oct 26, 2012 and will be nearly 30 months old by the time Threshold (i.e. Windows 9) will release. Looking back at MS's history that's actually about the normal rhythm. Sure there was a much larger gap from XP to Vista - nearly 5 years, but Vista to Windows 7 was about 32 months and Windows 7 to 8 was 39 months. I'll post about Threshold once I can load it, but I do expect it will be an improvement over Windows 8.1.
The bigger question will be - will it drive enough new demand for PCs, Laptops, Ultrabooks and Tablets. Many folks align Windows 8 to Vista - and from the market share numbers out there they may be right.
Many corporate folks are still trying to drag themselves forward to Windows 7 - which is already over 5 years old. Most if not all of those companies are skipping Windows 8 and looking forward to Threshold.
This is why I believe MS needs to go to a subscription model for Windows or offer a cloud based Windows Desktop. The days of the big general purpose OS release are dead. Folks don't line up in stores like they did for Windows 95 (remember the Start me up campaign).
This is why products like the Chromebook are becoming so popular. They're inexpensive and folks live in their browser and do all the work on the cloud.
MS needs to understand this or they are going to fade from the scene...
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