Windows 8 is now upon us, and the “RT-level” tablets from Microsoft are marching in right behind this new operating system. January will bring the full-blown Windows-ready Surface tablet from Microsoft.
So, is it time to chuck those clunky desktop PC’s, monitors, keyboards, etc. – and maybe remove the desks themselves, as well – and settle in to work in a Barca-Lounger with a tablet poised on your lap? Or at least to abandon the XP/Vista/Win 7 OS’s so ubiquitous in the work environment in favor of the “surface-friendly” Windows 8?
Not quite, in our opinion, for a couple of reasons.
In an effort to combine the advantages of an appealing touch-screen-oriented,” tiled” interface with the ability to operate a traditional Windows desktop environment, Microsoft has “muddied the waters” for many potential users. As of this writing, Windows 8 does not permit the user to lock in the “desktop mode” of operation in Windows 8 that parallels the familiar XP/Win 7 interface. Windows 8 always starts in touch-screen-oriented “tile” mode, and must be switched to “desktop mode” manually before running many Windows-compatible applications. In addition, some essential functions in Windows 8 are only accessible in tile mode, requiring the user to become thoroughly familiar with two separate interfaceson the Windows 8 PC. Plan on a significant user training and orientation period if you are anticipating a move to Windows 8 in the near future and expect to continue using your familiar XP/Win 7 apps.
Windows 7 will still be available as a pre-loaded option on new PCs at least through October of 2014, and Microsoft has announced that Windows 7 will be officially supported at least until January, 2020. So while Windows 8 offers a lot of exciting new functionality, and will further blur the distinction between the desktop PC and the tablet, there is no real urgency for users of earlier Windows versions to abandon those OS’s and dive headlong into the uncharted waters of Windows 8.
Over the next year software manufacturers will certainly be rolling out “tiled” (aka Win 8) versions of their desktop apps, and will begin to leverage the capabilities of that new interface to enhance efficiency and productivity. Our advice is to let the software developers do their work, and jump in when the waters are calm enough to allow you to use the apps upon which your business relies within this new interface, in a manner consistent with the new operating system’s designed capabilities.
And how about those new “Surface” tablets? Why can’t I leapfrog over the entire OS conundrum and just move to tablet-based computing? That is a topic for another post.
Questions about your present apps and their compatibility with Windows 8? Give us a call at 877-357-0555 before you take the plunge, so we can provide you with some guidance.
Haig Hovaness is an experienced IT consultant who works in the New York office of Crosspointe Consulting Group. Haig earned an MBA in information systems and lists over two decades of experience in corporate IT work. He has published numerous articles on information technology and its effects on organizations and society.
Haig – I don’t understand why tiling would be so difficult. Isn’t like having multiple windows open except you see all of them in the middle of the screen instead of the tool bar on the bottom? Also, what about compatability? Can you have a Surface running Windows 8, create or manipulate a documents, and then be able to easily sync them to the desktop XP Win 7 in the office? What about vice versa? is it easy to take a XP Win 7 created document, use it in Win 8, and then put it back to XP Win 7?
Lisa,
The tile interface is a new and different mode of controlling the operating system, and applications have to be written specifically to take advantage of the tiled interface. Legacy applications, which represent the bulk of existing law office automation software, must continue to run in Windows desktop mode, which appears as a single tile in the new interface. Legacy application windows do not appear as individual tiles. Thus, one must go back and forth between tile mode and desktop mode to use old and new software. This will be confusing to staff with limited computer skills and annoying to more advanced computer users.
Regarding document compatibility, Microsoft has historically supported interoperability among older and newer versions of Office applications. Thus it is likely that Office documents created by tiled mode versions of the Office suite will be usable by older desktop mode versions of Office apps and vice-versa.
Haig,
I was reading a recent article comparing the tablets (like the Microsoft Surface) to how we all use an oven and a microwave in our house. Some cooking tasks are better for the oven and some are better in the microwave, without jepordizing taste. Also, they both perform the same basic function, yet everyone has both in their houses depending on what they choose to make.:) This sort of goes to your point.