Microsoft's decision to focus the new Windows 8 primarily on touch input is one gutsy move.
It is a reinvention of Windows following a very solid performance of Windows 7 that could boost Microsoft's image tremendously and reignite a perception of innovation and passion. However, success isn't a given, and Windows 8 could also turn into a disaster of epic proportions.
You could not have possibly escaped the blog and video coverage of Windows 8 if you are somewhat interested in what is happening around the world. Microsoft's first detailed look at what Windows 8 will be, how it will work, and how it will shift the user experience, is a much more dramatic change in the operating system than most of us can remember. It's more significant than the switch from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95 in 1994. A much more appropriate comparison to the Metro Style GUI would be the upgrade from DOS to the Windows GUI, when the surface of the operating system became mouse-centric. This time, 26 years later, Microsoft is suggesting that it is time for us to leave the mouse behind and accept touch as our primary way to interact with a PC.
Those of us who have been around long enough may remember that Windows was not an instant hit. Windows 1.0 was announced in 1985, but its window manager was severely limited. Windows 2.0 in 1987 was significantly improved, but it was held back by design shortcomings and the sheer dominance of DOS. That changed with Windows 3.0 in 1990 and then especially with Windows 3.1 in 1992, which laid the foundation for the success of Windows as we know it today. It was also the breakthrough of the mouse as the main controller device for the GUI and applications. Ninety-nine percent of users today could not imagine using a PC without a mouse or derivate devices such as trackpads or trackballs. Touch is a seismic shift that is obviously targeted at a new generation of users who are growing up with smartphones andtablets (iPads) and prefer to touch a screen rather than use a mouse cursor and a physical keyboard to control their input.
Those of us who are 30+ years old will have to rethink the way we interact with computers. Younger users are likely to be much more accepting and malleable. Children may not know anything else but touch to use computers and already feel that using a mouse is antiquated.
The upside of the touch interface is the fact that Microsoft can capitalize on an existing trend in tablets, a trend that is being adopted naturally by a new generation of users. A plethora of users have been exposed to touch computing in some way, which indicates that the shift to touch computing is not as dramatic as we may think. Smartphones are now sold in numbers above the 100 million mark every quarter. Touch gestures are becoming standard and are about as easy to understand as moving a mouse. All of us could also benefit from an innovation potential in new types of applications that could be imagined beyond the mouse. Cloud computing may add to that experience by creating a seamless user model across different platforms. However, Microsoft also has challenges ahead, and not all of its arguments make sense at this time. Here is some food for thought.
No comments:
Post a Comment