Windows 10: Not ready for tablets... Hopefully Soon!

[FTech9]

Like everyone else, I was excited about the new Windows 10 release. Finely, desktop users will get back there beloved Start button and Microsoft found an acceptable place for Live Tiles. And all is well and good... Except for tablet users that is! In Microsoft's haste to sweep Windows 8.1 under the carpet they failed to bring into Windows 10 the one thing it did extremely well: Touch!. Windows 8.1 was built from the ground up to be a touch-friendly experience. That came at the determent of the desktop experience which is the ONLY reason it was not received with open arms. IMO, before Windows 8 was released Microsoft should have made sure there was a huge selection of 2-point touch monitors with edge-to-edge glass available. All that needed to be done was to show desktop users how to swipe left and right on the monitor and the entire debacle would have been defused. After that just explain that the Metro UI is nothing more than a fancy "quick launch" for there programs (press the windows key to toggle between desktop and Metro "quick launch") and presto... Windows 8 is the best OS ever created! I can't tell you how many 8.1 haters I have converted by handing them my tablet and showing them these simple tricks. I used touch screens on my desktop under 8.1 every day, and combined with the mouse and keyboard it is a much more natural and enjoyable experience.

So what is it that makes windows 10 so bad for tablets? The fact that humans don't have thumbs like octopus tentacles! Seriously, "good" tablet experience means optimizing distance, frequency and comfort when interacting with touchable elements on the screen. If your a one-handed finger pusher, then almost nothing has changed for you. But for the rest of use who use tablets daily, thumbs do most of the work. I have several gripes, but nowhere in Windows 10 is there more of an obvious lack of "touch-friendly" then the Edge browser. It is as if Microsoft had a focus group and asked "How can we make the tablet experience as uncomfortable and inefficient as humanly possible". And thus Microsoft Create Edge, the browser that almost no desktop user likes and nearly single handedly killed an otherwise reasonably pleasant touch experience. Not having the address bar and tab control at the bottom of the screen is bad enough. But no automatic touch keyboard show/hide is completely unacceptable. Let alone not being able to swipe back and forward.

As it stands Windows 10 is not ready for tablets, at least in the internet browsing arena. The touch experience in general is far degraded compared to Windows 8.1. Microsoft deliberately withheld the Metro browser presumably to force there own agenda at the expense of tablet usability. If you are considering Windows 10 on a tablet, I highly recommend holding off until Microsoft or 3rd party developers catch-up with touch.

 

[Jazmac]

I don't know. Seems to be ok for me. Its not perfect but I never expect ever get perfection from any of them. But I don't have a problem learning new things as those that can find fault with a blue sky.

 

[NatKingColeslaw]

I'm just one person...but I enjoy my tablet with Windows 10 much more than I ever did with 8 or 8.1, to be honest.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[Kevin Hill2]

I really like Windows 10 on my Tablet, Edge works so much better then Internet explorer ever did on a tablet and I love having Cortana on my Tablet and that she sync's with my PC can't wait for Windows 10 for my phone.

 

[FTech9]

Question, when you where using Windows 8 and surfing the web where you using the Desktop Internet Explorer or the Metro Internet explorer? If you where using to the former I totally understand why Windows 10 seem like a better experience. The desktop version is functionally identical to the Edge explorer in Win10 from a touch perspective. The Metro Internet Explorer is a completely differently animal, and was build to be touch friendly. If you get the opportunity give it another look, I promise after a while you wont want to use any other browser with your tablet.

 

[SammyD97]

Tablet user on Windows 10 here Have few gripes but nothing major. I personally have no gripes with Edge. The taskbar is a bit of an issue. But I moved it to the right and set it to auto hide. The task switcher isn't as pleasant to use as before. Preferred the list on the side than current full screen. Can't snap apps from task switcher. Snapped apps don't stay snapped if you switch over to something else. To close apps you have to tap on the x on the top right. Can't just drag it down from task view. But its usable. Not great but usable. Now if only I could figure out how to move the start button to the middle of the taskbar. Then I get similar positioning as the charms.

EDIT: Oh and its kind of buggy. Pinning apps to start was a bit iffy till yesterday. Always requires a password even when its set to only require a password after a certain period of time or never. But then that's just the OS.

 

[DavidinCT]

The general thing is Windows 10 is sucks for tablets, I use Windows Media Center and I don't plan on upgrading my tablet from Windows 8.1....

 

[WillysJeepMan]

I installed Windows 10 on my Acer Aspire Switch 11 (basically a poor man's Surface Pro 3). A nice step forward for using it in "notebook mode" but a significant step backward when using it as a tablet.

IMO, Microsoft overcorrected from the overly touch-optimized Windows 8/8.1 to accommodate desktop usage.

It is possible that there are settings to restore some touch features from 8.1, like the charms bar, and swiping to switch apps, so I'll need to spend more time poking around before passing a final judgment.

 

[Jas Holden]

I have win10 on 2 Dell Venue 8 Pro 8 inch tablets. Even with 8.1, I usually used them from the desktop.

What makes that easy is the free touchmousepointer program from lovesummertrue of Japan.

It gives you an onscreen touchpad and mouse pointer. The touchpad can be expanded to cover the whole screen and becomes transparent.

I recommend that anyone who is going to use Windows Desktop on a small tablet get the free program.

Here is a nice review....http://www.windowscentral.com/touchmousepointer-windows-virtual-trackpad

 

[tohoshinki]

Running Windows 10 on my Acer Iconia W1, initially was quite a buggy and choppy experience. There isnt a way to disable security on the lock screen anymore so youre forced to have a pincode or password every single time you lock the device. The start screen was also quite buggy, often not appearing on boot without switching between desktop and tablet mode a few times. Battery life is also consistently worse across the board.

Interface wise its not that different however. I might feel different if I had a 10" or 12" tablet, but on an 8" display I havent had any issues.Ms Edge flies with a patched hosts file and the UI is a lot more functional compared to metro IE. Though pinning sites to start remains broken.

I do however miss a lot of the swipes and pivot navigation, it seems that theyre on the way out.

 

[Dhruvansh Soni]

I'd like them to add a swipe to close in the task view, because on my dad's 7 inch Windows 10 tablet; closing apps can be annoying from the task view. swiping down within the app is fine tho.

 

[swanlee]

Bad for tablets as you pointed out. I'd rather swipe through open apps using my thumb then swipe, lift my hand and pick an app in a random order. Taskbars, Navigation bars, Address bars everywhere instead of touch gestures is also backwards thinking. I also miss being able to Snap 3 apps or have 2 apps snapped one taking 1/3 of the screen and another taking 2/3rds. Why did MS have to go so backwards on so many things that were working perfectly fine in Win 8.1

And the lack of a true Touch Browser that simulates Metro IE is a deal breaker for me. I use Metro IE on my 8 inch Acer W4 and it is by far the best tablet browser ever made. I cannot tweak Firefox/Chrome/Edge/Desktop IE/Opera to work as well on a tablet as Metro IE.

 

[bobelvi ELLIOTT Jr]

I do like win 10 but I cannot install office 365 I have the key code came with the surface pro 3 as a
package. I get the error code 3-4 what that?

 

[Sean Long1]

That's because you didn't use the Metro browser in Win 8. If you had you would understand why you sound ********.

 

[Richard Ryan Dort]

So its not just me. I loved my 8.1 RT tablet so much I bought an XPS 27. I ran Windows 10 preview and was basically WTF? I am holding out hope that Threshold 2 will come with touch based improvements. My only addition is that from the start menu you simply swipe the screen up and boom, all of you programs and apps laid out in front of you in a nice organized manner. Now I have some ridiculously long list to scroll through. Who's dumb idea was that? Also, I use every Charm bar button. I miracast from the my tablet to the TV a fair bit. Just how deep do I have to dig to get to connecting to my Microsoft Display Adapter now? And where is the Share short cut? Clever thing gives me a short list of people I send things too. I swear, if I hear one more "expert" on TWiT trash talking the Charms bar . . . Haha, you got me. Of course I won't and can't do anything, but they lose a lot of credibility with me, whatever that may be worth to them. Windows 10 makes a lot of since for a lot of people accept those of us with touch devices that aren't phones. Well, imho anyway.