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[iNvid02]

What specifically don't you like about the metro menu? With the exception of a few certain things, it's the same as Windows 7.

I know it's your opinion, but maybe spending longer than a few hours with it might change it.

For me it was just a case of getting used to the fact that pressing the Windows key to search would change my whole screen rather than just a small section. After that I was fine.

for one pressing the windows key only takes me to the start menu, whereas in win7 the search function was ready immediately as soon as the start menu opened. to get to search immediately i need to hover to the right hand side and then down, which feels very unnatural to me. i just want one click and the menu available.

another is that my taskbar is at the top like os x but the start menu access is at the bottom

and now the search function itself, in windows 7 i could type something and all results would show up, in metro they are divided into apps, settings and files - its just another click added every time you want to find something

i've been using the start menu like this for almost 6 years since vista overhauled it, im willing to adapt if the change is ultimately better, but i just dont think it is, its a step backwards, made to blend in with metro and cater for touch

they should keep metro separate, entirely. the one place they did merge it into is probably the most important part of the OS imo, the start menu.

i really hope there is a way to get it back and keep metro separated, its quite a good OS otherwise and i'd pay the small upgrade fee immediatley

 

[OneEightZero]

for one pressing the windows key only takes me to the start menu, whereas in win7 the search function was ready immediately as soon as the start menu opened. to get to search immediately i need to hover to the right hand side and then down, which feels very unnatural to me. i just want one click and the menu available.

another is that my taskbar is at the top like os x but the start menu access is at the bottom

and now the search function itself, in windows 7 i could type something and all results would show up, in metro they are divided into apps, settings and files - its just another click added every time you want to find something

i've been using the start menu like this for almost 6 years since vista overhauled it, im willing to adapt if the change is ultimately better, but i just dont think it is, its a step backwards, made to blend in with metro and cater for touch

Press the Windows key.
Type to search.
Press the down arrow to move between apps, settings, and files.

Mess with it for longer than 10 minutes, man.

 

[kehs]

You can start typing once you're on the start screen and it'll search.

 

[iNvid02]

ok thats much better

is there any way to remove the segregation of files. apps and settings?

using the arrow to scrol through them still requires you to press enter if you want to select one

 

[Gaspode_T]

The most important thing to know for any hardcore user is Windows Key + X. Trust me on this one.

 

[StudioTan]

ok thats much better

is there any way to remove the segregation of files. apps and settings?

using the arrow to scrol through them still requires you to press enter if you want to select one

Apps search - Win key > start typing
Files search - Win + F
Settings search - Win + W

As Gaspode_T said, Win + X to quickly access important power user stuff, you can also right-click in the lower left corner to bring up this menu.

Give it longer than a couple of hours, I find using the old start menu really slow now. It's important to get your start screen set up efficiently. After a while where the tiles are becomes muscle memory and it's much faster to launch stuff than it was using the Start menu.

 

[Steelyuhas]

ok thats much better

is there any way to remove the segregation of files. apps and settings?

using the arrow to scrol through them still requires you to press enter if you want to select one

Not in the release preview. I'l hoping for an option to remove that segregation in RTM.

 

[clav]

I read that the temporary fix for stopping the winlogon.exe errors (removing USB drives from computer and causes a halt on shutdown) is to disable fast boot.

:lol

The other method is to sign out then shut down from the login screen every time.

 

[TTOOLL]

Well, been using the RP since it came out and I just love it. Already a much better system than W7, which is great.

In fact I love it so much that I put the RP in three crap XP machines at work. Flawless so far with their 1gb of ram.

 

[spwolf]

They won't solve it with Windows 8, but hopefully Windows 9 does better. But the desktop must stay. Metro on my monitor is pretty dumb, and multitasking effectively is damn near impossible. The desktop remains the best computing experience on a large screen, even if on smaller screens, Metro shows some superiority.

i still cant figure out why would you use Metro instead of Desktop.
Seems like you would be deciding on purpose to downgrade your experience on computer that is built for Desktop.

I do hope it gives them more exposure for tables and mobile phones.

 

[SeaOfMadness]

i still cant figure out why would you use Metro instead of Desktop.
Seems like you would be deciding on purpose to downgrade your experience on computer that is built for Desktop.

Metro on a desktop PC is actually pretty cool when you finally give it a chance. Some things that are nice:
1) If you have 2 monitors, having Metro on your secondary monitor is nice if you like to monitor a twitter feed (Tweetro and People are nicely done full screen apps).
2) If you have 1 big monitor, a well designed metro app (again, like Tweetro) snapped to one side or the other can give you a cool summary view of something useful alongside your normal desktop
3) I prefer the Wikipedia metro app to the web site. It's just a better way to view this content. Also, being able to search Wikipedia anytime I want, no matter what i'm doing is nice. Win+Q, then type something, then clicking "Wikipedia" in the search tab is no slower than doing the same on desktop with a browser, but the full screen view is just easier to navigate.
4) The live tiles on the start screen are actually useful when you have the right apps installed with the right configuration.
5) Other Metro apps I prefer to their desktop equivalents: IHeartRadio, Maps,
MSNBC, some others.
6) Some apps don't have any equivalent in desktop-land such as Cocktail Flow (which is amazing) and Fresh Paint.

Even if 1 of these 6 points work for you, you could argue Metro isn't a total waste on a desktop PC.

Having said all that, it's obviously a very divisive thing, and certainly something that won't be appreciated till much later (assuming that happens at all). But if you want to avoid Metro, you pretty much can in 99% of the things you commonly do each day. At least that's my experience.

 

[Jzero]

i still cant figure out why would you use Metro instead of Desktop.
Seems like you would be deciding on purpose to downgrade your experience on computer that is built for Desktop.

I do hope it gives them more exposure for tables and mobile phones.

For me the reason Metro can be awesome is because of Apps from the store.

 

[jagowar]

For me the reason Metro can be awesome is because of Apps from the store.

Not only that but the new app model is significantly improved in many ways. The big question is will the apps ever get as ubiquitous as they are on x32/64 and will they ever get as "complex" as those apps.

 

[Steelyuhas]

Metro on a desktop PC is actually pretty cool when you finally give it a chance. Some things that are nice:
1) If you have 2 monitors, having Metro on your secondary monitor is nice if you like to monitor a twitter feed (Tweetro and People are nicely done full screen apps).
2) If you have 1 big monitor, a well designed metro app (again, like Tweetro) snapped to one side or the other can give you a cool summary view of something useful alongside your normal desktop
3) I prefer the Wikipedia metro app to the web site. It's just a better way to view this content. Also, being able to search Wikipedia anytime I want, no matter what i'm doing is nice. Win+Q, then type something, then clicking "Wikipedia" in the search tab is no slower than doing the same on desktop with a browser, but the full screen view is just easier to navigate.
4) The live tiles on the start screen are actually useful when you have the right apps installed with the right configuration.
5) Other Metro apps I prefer to their desktop equivalents: IHeartRadio, Maps,
MSNBC, some others.
6) Some apps don't have any equivalent in desktop-land such as Cocktail Flow (which is amazing) and Fresh Paint.

Even if 1 of these 6 points work for you, you could argue Metro isn't a total waste on a desktop PC.

Having said all that, it's obviously a very divisive thing, and certainly something that won't be appreciated till much later (assuming that happens at all). But if you want to avoid Metro, you pretty much can in 99% of the things you commonly do each day. At least that's my experience.

Metro certainly has some nice aspects to it, even on a desktop, and once Win 8 hits RTM, and the store is open to all submissions and updates will get pushed through, we should start to see some great apps that really take advantage of the platform. I'm excited to see what great apps emerge.

 

[colt45joe]

so, this whole metro ui design, is the new start menu? if it is, i think im ok with that.

 

[spwolf]

Metro on a desktop PC is actually pretty cool when you finally give it a chance. Some things that are nice:
1) If you have 2 monitors, having Metro on your secondary monitor is nice if you like to monitor a twitter feed (Tweetro and People are nicely done full screen apps).
2) If you have 1 big monitor, a well designed metro app (again, like Tweetro) snapped to one side or the other can give you a cool summary view of something useful alongside your normal desktop
3) I prefer the Wikipedia metro app to the web site. It's just a better way to view this content. Also, being able to search Wikipedia anytime I want, no matter what i'm doing is nice. Win+Q, then type something, then clicking "Wikipedia" in the search tab is no slower than doing the same on desktop with a browser, but the full screen view is just easier to navigate.
4) The live tiles on the start screen are actually useful when you have the right apps installed with the right configuration.
5) Other Metro apps I prefer to their desktop equivalents: IHeartRadio, Maps,
MSNBC, some others.
6) Some apps don't have any equivalent in desktop-land such as Cocktail Flow (which is amazing) and Fresh Paint.

Even if 1 of these 6 points work for you, you could argue Metro isn't a total waste on a desktop PC.

Having said all that, it's obviously a very divisive thing, and certainly something that won't be appreciated till much later (assuming that happens at all). But if you want to avoid Metro, you pretty much can in 99% of the things you commonly do each day. At least that's my experience.

a lot of that means that their regular apps are not that good or that you simply did not have found alternative - for instance, i have been docking my IM messanger to the side for the past 12 years .

But generally, I dont get the idea of using it too much at least, because it is really built for your future tablet and hence it is more touch friendly than mouse, and things do take up too much space simply because it is normal to have full screen app on tablet, but not on 23" desktop. Plus since it is designed first for tablet and phones, complexity of apps will always be lacking - what makes a lot of sense on 7" tablet, might be overly simplistic on the desktop.

I like my ipad a lot, but still cant figure why would i use iOS over OS X on laptop for instance.

 

[StudioTan]

so, this whole metro ui design, is the new start menu? if it is, i think im ok with that.

It is, but it's not just that. If you want to use the Metro side to just launch desktop apps you can (just as you used to use the Start menu), but Metro is also it's own environment and there are apps that are designed specifically for and only run in it.

While most will say that Metro apps are designed more for touch/tablet use some of the apps still work really well on a desktop computer (Maps for example) but some aren't as good as "traditional" options when using a keyboard and mouse.

If you're on a tablet PC you'll likely be spending most of your time using Metro apps since the tradition desktop is not very touch friendly.

 

[SeaOfMadness]

a lot of that means that their regular apps are not that good or that you simply did not have found alternative - for instance, i have been docking my IM messanger to the side for the past 12 years .

But generally, I dont get the idea of using it too much at least, because it is really built for your future tablet and hence it is more touch friendly than mouse, and things do take up too much space simply because it is normal to have full screen app on tablet, but not on 23" desktop. Plus since it is designed first for tablet and phones, complexity of apps will always be lacking - what makes a lot of sense on 7" tablet, might be overly simplistic on the desktop.

I like my ipad a lot, but still cant figure why would i use iOS over OS X on laptop for instance.

This is true, and that's why I'm saying Metro on a desktop PC isn't a waste and really doesn't take anything away from the desktop experience (as opposed to saying it's the preferred way to do things). I don't think Metro will "take over" the desktop PC interface anytime soon (which is what people seem to be afraid of).

Metro apps will always need to have bigger elements to make them touch friendly. This doesn't necessarily mean you can't do apps like Photoshop or Premiere, but generally apps like that need a powerful PC that isn't running on a battery and has a finer-grained input device like a mouse. I don't see how any tablet version of those kinds of apps will be replaced any time soon. Of course, a lot of apps (the majority?) don't require much input or power and those work perfectly in Metro.

And that's why Win8 is a good blend of old and new. It really is like 2 OSes in one, but neither one drags the other one down. The 2 environments (desktop and Metro) complement each other.

 

[dLMN8R]

People are arbitrarily trying to force themselves to use Metro apps as replacements for perfectly suitable desktop apps when using a mouse and keyboard.

Stop that.

Seriously, stop.

You have great Desktop apps that you've been using for years, if not decades. Continue using them. They're built for mouse and keyboard. They're not pre-release apps. You're not "supposed to" stop using them. The Desktop isn't there as some crutch. It's there because it's genuinely better for a ton of scenarios, and it's improved from where it was in Windows 7, not reduced, not hindered.

 

[markot]

Sadly, most of the metro apps seems pretty shitty on tablets too >_>

 

[kehs]

People are arbitrarily trying to force themselves to use Metro apps as replacements for perfectly suitable desktop apps when using a mouse and keyboard.

Stop that.

Seriously, stop.

You have great Desktop apps that you've been using for years, if not decades. Continue using them. They're built for mouse and keyboard. They're not pre-release apps. You're not "supposed to" stop using them. The Desktop isn't there as some crutch. It's there because it's genuinely better for a ton of scenarios, and it's improved from where it was in Windows 7, not reduced, not hindered.

Did they finally get around to allowing me to install Foobar on arm tablets? Awesome.

 

[dLMN8R]

Did they finally get around to allowing me to install Foobar on arm tablets? Awesome.

That completely ignores what I said. The metro apps (especially by the time RTM comes around) are great for tablets. Still missing some features, but they'll be there by the time people are actually using Windows 8 on tablets.

I'm talking about the people here complaining about how awkward the metro apps are to use on a desktop/laptop with a mouse/keyboard.

 

[markot]

That completely ignores what I said. The metro apps (especially by the time RTM comes around) are great for tablets. Still missing some features, but they'll be there by the time people are actually using Windows 8 on tablets.

I'm talking about the people here complaining about how awkward the metro apps are to use on a desktop/laptop with a mouse/keyboard.

So the metro screen doesnt pop up with the links to the metro apps every time you log on? Awesome change.

 

[maeh2k]

So the metro screen doesnt pop up with the links to the metro apps every time you log on? Awesome change.

Not if you customize it to popping up with links to the desktop apps every time you log on.

 

[StudioTan]

So the metro screen doesnt pop up with the links to the metro apps every time you log on? Awesome change.

He's talking about Metro apps, not the metro launcher ie Start screen.

 

[Mr_Zombie]

So the metro screen doesnt pop up with the links to the metro apps every time you log on? Awesome change.

You know you can remove all metro apps from the start screen, right?

 

[markot]

Why cant I just log into desktop and miss the start page altogether?

Apparently this is better than a start bar, and also 'its 2 oses in one!' yet I always have to crawl through the awfulness of Metro on desktop and still use its completely unintuitive set up for certain things.

Why? Why does Metro exist at all on desktop and laptops? If its two oses, and its 'lol dont use metro apps on no tablets' then why the hell is it forced onto me?

How about a revolutionary design, where it 'senses' if you are using a touch screen and then uses that as the 'default' for your set up? ie, straight to desktop on log in.

For all the fluffery of 'oh woe is the user who uses start menu!' and the 'clinical trials prove that metro is better 50%' then why am I now forced into the start menu on each log in? why does it take up the whole screen?

Microsoft wanted to leverage its os success into tablets, fine. But stop pretending that metro is this completely seperate thing that you are a fool for touching on desktop, if they cant even be assed to 'turn it off' when its not needed and unintuitive.... I mean, sorry, but with a mouse and keyboard, the start bar, the start menu, the limited space used are far better than the whole screen metro shit. Yet we cant 'choose' our os, we are forced to use it.

Because its not this isolated radioactive isotope that is only safe within the confines of a tablet. Its the core of the OS, its the new 'start' bar, its the search, its what slaps you in the face when you log into the system. Because microsoft wants its that way, because they dont think metro is a tablet only interface, because they want people to use their awful video and music apps to buy shit and be bombarded with ads, they want people to use the xbox app to buy games. Will there be non metro versions of these? Well Media center is out, and is wmp even getting an update?

Its all about funnelling us into their 'garden', to buy music, games, videos, that is all metro is. And that is why its the 'star' of windows 8, and the default screen you enter.

Apparently microsoft makes alot of money by having their defualt web page set to their stupid ass 'news' whatever pages, ninemsn in Australia. Because 80% of users cant be assed, or know how, to change it, so they will use the metro apps for videos, and music, and buy shit from them. The 'start' is the end point for most users.

Whats sad is that I do like alot of the improvements to the 'base' of windows, the quick start up alone is almost enough for an upgrade. But I dont like the half asseyness of the metro shit on desktop, and what it portends for the future. Whats sad is that, with alot of the linux distros trying to jump on the 'usability'! bandwagon, and with metro, in some ways, Apples OSX might be the most... 'advanced' os out of the box.

 

[spwolf]

This is true, and that's why I'm saying Metro on a desktop PC isn't a waste and really doesn't take anything away from the desktop experience (as opposed to saying it's the preferred way to do things). I don't think Metro will "take over" the desktop PC interface anytime soon (which is what people seem to be afraid of).

Metro apps will always need to have bigger elements to make them touch friendly. This doesn't necessarily mean you can't do apps like Photoshop or Premiere, but generally apps like that need a powerful PC that isn't running on a battery and has a finer-grained input device like a mouse. I don't see how any tablet version of those kinds of apps will be replaced any time soon. Of course, a lot of apps (the majority?) don't require much input or power and those work perfectly in Metro.

And that's why Win8 is a good blend of old and new. It really is like 2 OSes in one, but neither one drags the other one down. The 2 environments (desktop and Metro) complement each other.

yeah, i think big problem people have it is that relegates Desktop to small dorky Win 3.1 looking icon on the Metro start screen, so reason you actually purchased your computer is one of the 30 icons on the screen, and it is really old school looking to the point that most people wont click on it unless they know what is it.

They did this on purpose to make people think Metro is cool vs Desktop is not.

Now sure, it is one click away and easy to set as default... for me and you. But a lot of windows users are novices and people who dont like using computers, and I think this will end up being very complicated for them, or they will simply use Metro on their laptop or desktop, and get inferior experience at the end.

I have only been working on Win software side for 14 years, and only handled around 100,000 customers, so I might not have greatest insight, but I see this as potentially large issue.

 

[Mr_Zombie]

yeah, i think big problem people have it is that relegates Desktop to small dorky Win 3.1 looking icon on the Metro start screen, so reason you actually purchased your computer is one of the 30 icons on the screen, and it is really old school looking to the point that most people wont click on it unless they know what is it.

IIRC on default desktop icon is a big (2x1) tile with your current wallpaper as the "icon".

Now sure, it is one click away and easy to set as default... for me and you. But a lot of windows users are novices and people who dont like using computers, and I think this will end up being very complicated for them, or they will simply use Metro on their laptop or desktop, and get inferior experience at the end.

If they really don't want/like to fiddle with computers, metro apps are better solution for them then: easy to install, easy to configure, easy to use.

 

[brotkasten]

Now that the Windows Store is a big bullet point for Windows 8, could this be some competition from Valve?

Steam store search shows categories for non-gaming apps

The Steam app for Android shows a number of new categories that have little to do with gaming, which could be a shred of evidence that Valve is considering different kinds of apps for its popular game distribution service. The "Genre" section of the app's index lists genres like "accounting, education, software training," and "photo editing," with a total of ten additional categories over those shown in the Steam desktop client — though none of the categories contain any software.

...

http://www.theverge.com/2012/7/15/3161651/valve-steam-software

 

[Wiktor]

Why cant I just log into desktop and miss the start page altogether?

You can with a little bit of effort:
http://www.techspot.com/guides/551-bypass-metro/

 

[Complex Shadow]

Now that the Windows Store is a big bullet point for Windows 8, could this be some competition from Valve?


http://www.theverge.com/2012/7/15/3161651/valve-steam-software

I would happily accept this. As long it's better than the windows market. Fucking GFWL sucks major balls. And ms still hasn't fixed that shit. It would be nice to have all my games and apps in one place. I know it's giving steam too much power but ef that.

 

[kehs]

That completely ignores what I said. The metro apps (especially by the time RTM comes around) are great for tablets. Still missing some features, but they'll be there by the time people are actually using Windows 8 on tablets.

I'm talking about the people here complaining about how awkward the metro apps are to use on a desktop/laptop with a mouse/keyboard.

I guess that's a no. =(

 

[Zabka]

Why cant I just log into desktop and miss the start page altogether?

Apparently this is better than a start bar, and also 'its 2 oses in one!' yet I always have to crawl through the awfulness of Metro on desktop and still use its completely unintuitive set up for certain things.

Why? Why does Metro exist at all on desktop and laptops? If its two oses, and its 'lol dont use metro apps on no tablets' then why the hell is it forced onto me?

How about a revolutionary design, where it 'senses' if you are using a touch screen and then uses that as the 'default' for your set up? ie, straight to desktop on log in.

For all the fluffery of 'oh woe is the user who uses start menu!' and the 'clinical trials prove that metro is better 50%' then why am I now forced into the start menu on each log in? why does it take up the whole screen?

Microsoft wanted to leverage its os success into tablets, fine. But stop pretending that metro is this completely seperate thing that you are a fool for touching on desktop, if they cant even be assed to 'turn it off' when its not needed and unintuitive.... I mean, sorry, but with a mouse and keyboard, the start bar, the start menu, the limited space used are far better than the whole screen metro shit. Yet we cant 'choose' our os, we are forced to use it.

Because its not this isolated radioactive isotope that is only safe within the confines of a tablet. Its the core of the OS, its the new 'start' bar, its the search, its what slaps you in the face when you log into the system. Because microsoft wants its that way, because they dont think metro is a tablet only interface, because they want people to use their awful video and music apps to buy shit and be bombarded with ads, they want people to use the xbox app to buy games. Will there be non metro versions of these? Well Media center is out, and is wmp even getting an update?

Its all about funnelling us into their 'garden', to buy music, games, videos, that is all metro is. And that is why its the 'star' of windows 8, and the default screen you enter.

Apparently microsoft makes alot of money by having their defualt web page set to their stupid ass 'news' whatever pages, ninemsn in Australia. Because 80% of users cant be assed, or know how, to change it, so they will use the metro apps for videos, and music, and buy shit from them. The 'start' is the end point for most users.

Whats sad is that I do like alot of the improvements to the 'base' of windows, the quick start up alone is almost enough for an upgrade. But I dont like the half asseyness of the metro shit on desktop, and what it portends for the future. Whats sad is that, with alot of the linux distros trying to jump on the 'usability'! bandwagon, and with metro, in some ways, Apples OSX might be the most... 'advanced' os out of the box.

Jesus man it's just one button click. You've probably wasted more energy on this post than two years worth of clicking to the desktop on boot.

 

[brotkasten]

I would happily accept this. As long it's better than the windows market. Fucking GFWL sucks major balls. And ms still hasn't fixed that shit. It would be nice to have all my games and apps in one place. I know it's giving steam too much power but ef that.

But Xbox Live on Windows 8 is not Games for Windows Live. I laughed when I read the joke in the gaming forum: The last time GFWL was updated, George W. Bush was still president.

 

[SeaOfMadness]

Jesus man it's just one button click. You've probably wasted more energy on this post than two years worth of clicking to the desktop on boot.

Or just press the WIN key for crying out loud. It takes a millisecond.

Besides, what's the first thing you do when you are greeted with the desktop? For 99.99% of people, there's nothing useful to *see* on the desktop. It's just a launcher. You probably go right to the task bar, or, *gasp*, the start menu, to launch a program. You can do that from the new start screen just as easily.

Plus, the new start screen actually has some useful info on it (if you set it up this way). For example, you can see at a glance today's weather forecast, some stock prices, your next appointment, a recent IM message, your most recent email, traffic conditions, etc... That's more useful than a desktop that doesn't have any at-a-glance info.

Still, if the appearance of the start screen is so heinous and upsetting, just use the keyboard shortcut to switch to desktop mode and launch your apps the old way.

 

[Zabka]

WIN key wouldn't work from a cold boot, you'd need to hit WIN + D.

You might as well just ask someone to squat 500 pounds though because that shit is HARD.

 

[jonremedy]

The first thing I do when booting Win8 is clicking the Chrome-button... Same as I do on Win7... No difference for me really...

 

[Complex Shadow]

But Xbox Live on Windows 8 is not Games for Windows Live. I laughed when I read the joke in the gaming forum: The last time GFWL was updated, George W. Bush was still president.

Let's just hope my games carry over and it gets updated on the regular.

 

[Utako]

Are people still complaining about Metro here?

GET. USED. TO. IIIIIITTTT.

 

[SeaOfMadness]

I guess that's a no. =(

I'm not sure what your point is? The ARM version is much more akin to an iPad. If you want the battery life, and lighter weight of ARM, you can't have any random desktop app running on it.

If you need such an app, either wait for its Metro equivalent, or get a Pro tablet instead. At least there is a choice.

 

[kehs]

I'm not sure what your point is? The ARM version is much more akin to an iPad. If you want the battery life, and lighter weight of ARM, you can't have any random desktop app running on it.

If you need such an app, either wait for its Metro equivalent, or get a Pro tablet instead. At least there is a choice.

He said the desktop is there so we can use all our great keyboard and mouse apps if we wanted to.

Turns out that's not true at all, the desktop is just there to mock people on the arm versions.

=*(

 

[bloodydrake]

I'm not sure what your point is? The ARM version is much more akin to an iPad. If you want the battery life, and lighter weight of ARM, you can't have any random desktop app running on it.

If you need such an app, either wait for its Metro equivalent, or get a Pro tablet instead. At least there is a choice.

I know people hate it but I'm convinced the Atom Clover Trail and Bay Trail line will be the default for x86.

I think the Pro Tablets will be as niche as RT will be

 

[Windu]

Office 2013 http://www.winsupersite.com/article/office-2013-beta2/office-2013-public-preview-143709

looks like a onenote and lync metro app are coming.

 

[mattiewheels]

If there's one thing I've taken away from the preview, it's that IE is actually kind of great now. At least, I've never been made annoyed or disgusted with it like before. It's as transparent as chrome to me now, so I've been using it exclusively on my htpc.

 

[jagowar]

Office 2013 http://www.winsupersite.com/article/office-2013-beta2/office-2013-public-preview-143709

looks like a onenote and lync metro app are coming.

I wonder if there will be a office 365 "free" version coming to replace hotmail/msn messenger/skydrive (or live custom domains). This version integrating with skydrive goes away from the current office 365 subscriptions so why still call it office365? doesn't really make sense unless there is a new version coming targeted to combat the free google apps option.

If there's one thing I've taken away from the preview, it's that IE is actually kind of great now. At least, I've never been made annoyed or disgusted with it like before. It's as transparent as chrome to me now, so I've been using it exclusively on my htpc.

I have as well.... mainly because flash is builtin. Flash crashed on me all the time with firefox/chrome and not a single one with ie10. Have to imagine its because ms took out all the crap in the player and fixed it.

 

[Deleted member 81567]

Loving Windows 8 from vids I've seen until now. People complaining about the Metro should give it some time.

I just don't get the apps. What's the point of using apps when you're using a PC? Always thought they'd only be available for handheld devices.

 

[maeh2k]

I wonder if there will be a office 365 "free" version coming to replace hotmail/msn messenger/skydrive (or live custom domains). This version integrating with skydrive goes away from the current office 365 subscriptions so why still call it office365? doesn't really make sense unless there is a new version coming targeted to combat the free google apps option.

Microsoft already has free Office web apps that use skydrive. These web apps will get an update with a more Metro look and probably some new features.

 

[jagowar]

Microsoft already has free Office web apps that use skydrive. These web apps will get an update with a more Metro look and probably some new features.

I'm talking about branding it office 365 (and then using skydrive).... office 365 right now is a completely separate service to hotmail/skydrive/msn messenger.

I could see them (as part of the metro rebranding) make everything office 365 and create a free version. This has always been one of my issues with ms is they have multiple products that do the same thing and wasting time writing features separately for each product. It seems office 365 is where they are going so it would be smart to make that the service everywhere (and offer free domains using their hotmail/live/skype/etc).

Office 365 Home Premium: Can be installed on up to five devices; users get an extra 20GB of SkyDrive storage; Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, Access and Publisher are included.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/16/microsoft-office-15-preview/

 

[Akyan]

Loving Windows 8 from vids I've seen until now. People complaining about the Metro should give it some time.

I just don't get the apps. What's the point of using apps when you're using a PC? Always thought they'd only be available for handheld devices.

I'm quite looking forward to giving the tablet versions a go, but share the shame concerns about quite how well apps will work on a non-touch desktop. Think it'll be a bit weird on my dual screen setup.