10 ways Windows 8 beats the iPad

MSNBC Gadgetbox ^ | 03/03/2012 | Mark Spoonauer

[SmokingJoe]

Windows 8 is now available for anyone to download, and it already shows a ton of potential. In fact, Microsoft’s bold new OS, which reminds us a lot of Windows Phone, outshines the iPad in some key areas. Granted, there were things we didn’t like in our Windows 8 Consumer Preview — and the iPad 3 or iPad HD is just around the corner — but there’s no question that Apple will soon have a real fight on its hands. Here are the top 10 ways Windows 8 is better than the iPad right now. (Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBCUniversal.)

1. Windows 8 is more personal than iOS While iOS represents photos with a flower icon, Windows 8 lets you choose any photo you want to populate the live tile that lives on the Start screen. And that's just one of many ways you can customize the screen you'll see most. You can move items around, name groups of apps around and name them using the Semantic zoom feature, and pin everything from your favorite people and websites to the Start screen.

2. Faster multitasking on Windows 8 No double- tapping a button to see your stuff here. Windows 8 lets you thumb through the applications you recently opened fast and fluidly just by swiping from the left edge of the screen. If you want to see all of your open apps at once, swipe from the left edge and then pull your finger back towards the edge to reveal a thumbnail view

3. People App: Beyond the Address Book One of our favorite features in Windows 8 is the People app. Why? Because it automatically links duplicate contacts so that there’s only one person for a given name.......

[Psycho_Bunny]

I don’t know what OS you’ve been running but the Win8 preview we’ve been running in my department is the worst OS we’ve ever seen. We’ve been alternating between laughing at what a POS it is, and being terrified of the idea of having to deploy it.

MS has at least 6 months of work to do before it’s enterprise-ready.

And the very first thing they need to do is set an option for AD domains to disable Metro and re-enable the Start bar.

And also, not be so obvious about the fact that they ripped off Metro from tablet Android.

[Erik Latranyi]

I don’t know what OS you’ve been running but the Win8 preview we’ve been running in my department is the worst OS we’ve ever seen.

The most common mistake is people who think Win8 is just the next version of Windows.

It is clear you never gave Windows 8 a chance.

You have to forget everything you know and learn a whole, new interface. What you know about Win7, iOS, Android, etc does not apply.

Everyone I know who is working with Win8 (including myself) found out it takes some time to learn the new interface. But anyone who has learned it, has said it is the best, most well-thought interface ever presented.

I agree with that and it will revolutionize how we work with our devices.

[Psycho_Bunny]

“It is clear you never gave Windows 8 a chance.”

Oh, please.

[SmokingJoe]

I don’t know what OS you’ve been running but the Win8 preview we’ve been running in my department is the worst OS we’ve ever seen. We’ve been alternating between laughing at what a POS it is, and being terrified of the idea of having to deploy it.”

Chuckle!
I am not sure what planet you are living on, dude, but your “view” on Windows 8 preciew runs in direct contrast with what most informed reviewers have had to say about Win 8 so far, including this piece from Wired (no fan of Microsoft from as long as I can remember), reported on CNN

Five ways Windows 8 is better than iOS and Android

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/01/tech/mobile/windows-better-ios-android/index.html

Or this from Rob Enderle,
Opinion: Windows 8 vs. OS X Mountain Lion — why Apple Suddenly Suck
http://www.digitaltrends.com/apple/opinion-windows-8-vs-os-x-mountain-lion-why-apple-suddenly-sucks/

and countless very poitive reviews from well respected technical publications.
Pshycho_Bunny eh?
What an appropriate name! I seem to recall meeting you in other threads on any number of subjects. When is the last time you posted anything on here that made any sense?

[SmokingJoe]

“And they all had one thing in common: they sucked. “

Fact remains: Contrary to what the Applebots think, Apple did NOT invent the tablet computer, nor any of the technologies that go with it, and Windows tablets existed long before thew iPad. Apple simply took what others had invented before them, refined them, and put them into a package that sold well.

“The biggest potential pitfall to Windows 8 is that this mentality might simply get worse as they expand their core OS to encompass not just PCs, but also tablets and smartphones. p>

The reviews so far, including the review from “Wired” have been pretty positive. Plus, Windows 8, in its various iterations, will sell vastly more than the iPad and Apple Macs combined, with Windows 7 having already sold a staggering over 550 million in such a relatively short time.
FORBES:
“We expect Windows 8 to be a bigger hit than Windows 7, which has sold around 550 million licenses to date. Along with Windows 8, Microsoft will also be launching the Windows App Store, which will be the central repository for Windows software, and will allow users to access all available software from a single location.”
http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2012/02/13/microsoft-stock-going-to-32-as-windows-8-arrives-this-month/

[aruanan]

with Windows 7 having already sold a staggering over 550 million in such a relatively short time.

Because it was a replacement for the incredibly balky Vista.

[SmokingJoe]

“Because it was a replacement for the incredibly balky Vista.”

Nope. Because Win 7 is a great OS.
The bulk of Win 7 sales were XP(not Win 7) replacements. Untill Win 7 shipped, XP still had by far the biggest desktop OS installed base.

[Psycho_Bunny]

I’m sorry. Did you have something intelligent to say or is your Aunt Flo visiting?

You can sycophant all you want...the fact of the matter is that the Consumer Preview of 8 is just 7 with a brand new, half-finished user interface that’s suspiciously almost exactly the same as Android, and a shoving down the throats of developers a new foundation class.....because .NET worked out so well.

[kevkrom]

Fact remains: Contrary to what the Applebots think, Apple did NOT invent the tablet computer, nor any of the technologies that go with it, and Windows tablets existed long before thew iPad. Apple simply took what others had invented before them, refined them, and put them into a package that sold well.

No one claimed Apple invented the tablet. Apple made the tablet a viable and usable device.

As mentioned previously, previous attempts sucked. Universally. And hard. Why? A couple of factors: 1) The hardware wasn't up to snuff. 2) (and more importantly) The designers tried to make tablets do too much -- all things to all people -- on a device that was barely capable of doing anything at all.

What Apple did differently was that they put their own R&D regarding battery life, mobile processors, and high-quality mutlitouch displays and delivered a usable device that focused only on a limited number of tasks, but delivered them well. I remember a lot of complaints that the 1st-generation iPads were useless for content creators, as opposed to content consumers -- and for good reason, it was designed for the latter, not the former.

From a marketing standpoint, they were also able to leverage the wide library already available in the App Store to appeal to folks who already owned an iDevice or who wanted one but didn't need the phone and wanted something larger than the iPod Touch.

I mean, I have a Kindle Fire, and I like it. But I'm not going to pretend its anywhere near as good as a 1st-generation iPad, let alone a 3rd-generation model. On the other hand, without the iPad, there'd be no Kindle Fire. (Or Blackberry Playbook, et. al.)

[SmokingJoe]

“I’m sorry. Did you have something intelligent to say or is your Aunt Flo visiting?”

Chuckle!
The aptly named “Psycho Bunny” strikes again, and proves yet again why he is called “Psycho Bunny”

“You can sycophant all you want”

Screeched the Sycophant in Chief himself

“the fact of the matter is that the Consumer Preview of 8 is just 7 with a brand new, half-finished user interface that’s suspiciously almost exactly the same as Android, and a shoving down the throats of developers a new foundation class...”

Said the Psycho Bunny who wouldn't recognize facts if they hit him right between the eyes. Smoking too much crack again are we?