Windows 8 finally getting cleaner

For those that use a computer with windows 8 the new update just made Windows Store Apps much more integrated.  It looks to me like Microsoft finally realised that people that use computers work differently to those that use a tablet.  For the first 18 months of its life Windows 8 has had a split personality, now that disorder is showing signs of clearing up.

The update added some simple features but these make using it with a mouse much more simple.  For example if you now open a Windows Store App it will still cover the whole of your screen.  If you move your mouse to the top of the screen though a bar appears at the top of it that has the familiar System, Minimise and close buttons.  This acts to make the WSA feel much more a part of the computing experience.  In addition to this you can also pin the windows store apps to the taskbar so they become more integrated in the desktop experience as a whole.

With the ability to run these apps in a window following along shortly and a rumoured start button that allows access to the combined WSA/Legacy portfolio windows is starting to feel a lot more like windows again.  This has strangely meant that I am using more windows store apps.  Undoubtedly what Microsoft has wanted to achieve, a shame that it took this long to get here but this is now starting to work quite well.  Give it a try if you have been avoiding windows 8.

Windows 8.1 adding value by adding Windows.

After some time with Windows 8 it looks like Microsoft has finally realised that the true value in windows IS windows.  Though tomorrows update1 for Windows 8.1 does not contain it, Microsoft has confessed to a returning start button and windowed modern ui.  In short Microsoft will be putting windows back into windows.

This is really important because though the modern ui is okay for consumption it is pretty rubbish at production.  Try dragging and dropping a mail into your onenote, it just cannot be done.  Finally Microsoft have sussed that PC sales are going down because the power of 5 year old computers is still sufficient for most things that most people do.  We replace when they fail rather than every couple of years.  We also tend to supplement our PCs with a tablet or two, because they are cool and convenient.

That does not mean though that we do any real work on these devices though.  They play movies and games really well but even with the advent of office on iPad I doubt many people will write their novel on it.  A few will buy a keyboard and do that but most won't.  In truth I know people that have a windows tablet like my surface pro 2 that they only use for consumption.  They prefer to use a full PC for their work.  I just connect mine to a couple of monitors and a keyboard :-)