I don't have any touch devices so I installed Windows 8 on my nearly two year old desktop. It's stable and runs fantastic. I haven't done any benchmarks but I don't think it's a stretch to say it's running faster than my copy of Windows 7 Ultimate.
I didn't have any problems with Win7, my system was already stable and capable of doing everything I wanted/needed it to. However, I was incredibly intrigued by Windows 8 since the dev preview and decided to take the plunge. I've been using it since release, and like I said, I'm having a great time with it.
But, full confession, I did in fact cheat by buying a touchpad. The Logitech T650, to be exact. It was a bit pricey, but IMO, it's the best thing next to having an actual Windows 8 tablet and superior to the touchpads on newer Windows 8 laptops.
Using a mouse really just felt like I was running Windows 7 only with a larger start screen. Switching to a touchpad really brought Windows 8 alive for me. The biggest improvement being that I don't have to drag my mouse to numerous corners on the screen. I can make a quick touch gesture and quickly get to the start menu no matter where my cursor is on the screen. A quick swipe from the edge and I can quickly switch between open apps. Scrolling, as you would expect, is far superior with a touchpad. I did have to sacrifice a bit of accuracy but my mouse is still nearby the next time I have to photoshop a picture.
As for Windows 8 itself, I must say, I am kind of surprised how quickly I adopted to using apps from the Microsoft Store. I'm more likely to use the Hulu app, ESPN, or Weather despite having complete access to the regular websites. It's because of convenience. The Hulu app is clean, easy to navigate, plus I can dock it to the side and continue watching my video while I open another app or use the desktop.
Live tiles, along with my touchpad, makes it so convenient to check updates. A quick touch gesture and I can see all my email, social, calendar, sports, and weather updates without opening another window. Another quick swipe and I'm right back to the program I was working in. I can't speak for everyone, but that's cool to me and I hope other people take advantages of live tiles.
That's not to say everything is perfect. Apps like Mail, Xbox Music, SkyDrive and several others still need a little bit more time in the oven. PC Settings and Control Panel need to be implemented better. Apps docked to the side should auto update. Exactly what is a Microsoft Account needs to be less ambiguous. For example, I wasn't aware that signing in with a Microsoft Account would prevent me from using another account. Imagine my surprise when I switched from a Local to a Microsoft Account and then realized that the video I purchased on Xbox Video wasn't available because I used a different email account than the one that's associated with my Microsoft Account.
But as a whole I feel that Windows 8 is a step in the right direction. Most importantly, I feel it's a necessary step. The industry is moving towards inexpensive touch devices and that's where Microsoft needs to be. PC sales are down, tablets are climbing and Microsoft's biggest rivals, Apple and Google, will absolutely devour the portable market unless Microsoft does something. Sure, people will still be using desktops for a long time, but it's a shrinking category and Microsoft will shrink right along with it unless they do something. Not adapting to a changing market is exactly why companies like RIM and Nokia are struggling now.
I didn't have any problems with Win7, my system was already stable and capable of doing everything I wanted/needed it to. However, I was incredibly intrigued by Windows 8 since the dev preview and decided to take the plunge. I've been using it since release, and like I said, I'm having a great time with it.
But, full confession, I did in fact cheat by buying a touchpad. The Logitech T650, to be exact. It was a bit pricey, but IMO, it's the best thing next to having an actual Windows 8 tablet and superior to the touchpads on newer Windows 8 laptops.
Using a mouse really just felt like I was running Windows 7 only with a larger start screen. Switching to a touchpad really brought Windows 8 alive for me. The biggest improvement being that I don't have to drag my mouse to numerous corners on the screen. I can make a quick touch gesture and quickly get to the start menu no matter where my cursor is on the screen. A quick swipe from the edge and I can quickly switch between open apps. Scrolling, as you would expect, is far superior with a touchpad. I did have to sacrifice a bit of accuracy but my mouse is still nearby the next time I have to photoshop a picture.
As for Windows 8 itself, I must say, I am kind of surprised how quickly I adopted to using apps from the Microsoft Store. I'm more likely to use the Hulu app, ESPN, or Weather despite having complete access to the regular websites. It's because of convenience. The Hulu app is clean, easy to navigate, plus I can dock it to the side and continue watching my video while I open another app or use the desktop.
Live tiles, along with my touchpad, makes it so convenient to check updates. A quick touch gesture and I can see all my email, social, calendar, sports, and weather updates without opening another window. Another quick swipe and I'm right back to the program I was working in. I can't speak for everyone, but that's cool to me and I hope other people take advantages of live tiles.
That's not to say everything is perfect. Apps like Mail, Xbox Music, SkyDrive and several others still need a little bit more time in the oven. PC Settings and Control Panel need to be implemented better. Apps docked to the side should auto update. Exactly what is a Microsoft Account needs to be less ambiguous. For example, I wasn't aware that signing in with a Microsoft Account would prevent me from using another account. Imagine my surprise when I switched from a Local to a Microsoft Account and then realized that the video I purchased on Xbox Video wasn't available because I used a different email account than the one that's associated with my Microsoft Account.
But as a whole I feel that Windows 8 is a step in the right direction. Most importantly, I feel it's a necessary step. The industry is moving towards inexpensive touch devices and that's where Microsoft needs to be. PC sales are down, tablets are climbing and Microsoft's biggest rivals, Apple and Google, will absolutely devour the portable market unless Microsoft does something. Sure, people will still be using desktops for a long time, but it's a shrinking category and Microsoft will shrink right along with it unless they do something. Not adapting to a changing market is exactly why companies like RIM and Nokia are struggling now.
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