Should I Wait for Windows 8?

Window 8 becomes available in retail in just a little less than 4 weeks.  With computers still shipping with Windows 7 until then, and most vendors not automatically covering the $15 upgrade charge, does it make sense to buy a Windows 7 computer now, or wait a few weeks and get on with Windows 8 from the factory?

I’ve been using Windows 8 a bit here and there since the first preview release nearly a year ago, and I was given access to the final release version of Windows 8 back in August.  So I’ve had a little time with it now and have had a chance to formulate an opinion on it based on actual hands-on time rather than just by reading articles on the Internet.  I haven’t used it as my primary operating system, but I have spent quite a few hours with it.

So instead of making you read a long drawn-out article that covers every little change that has been made, let’s just get down to brass tacks.  Should you wait for a computer running Windows 8?  Let me answer that question with two of my own: Does the computer you are looking at buying have a touch screen?  And would you be happy running a tablet-style interface?  If the answer to either of these is “No” then sticking with Window 7 is likely your better option at this point in time.

But isn’t Windows 8 supposed to be the latest and greatest version of Windows?  Isn’t Microsoft betting the farm on it?  Yes, and yes.  And while they changes they have made give them the opportunity to provide the best experience on a tablet device, they’ve really sacrificed ease-of-use on computers that are still going to be used primarily with a mouse and keyboard.  The user interface they’ve created is just awkward with traditional input devices, even if it is very well designed for touch-friendly devices.

For those not familiar with what I’m talking about, Windows 8 completely ditches the Start menu that we’ve become used to since it first appeared in Windows 95 just over 17 years ago.  If you’re used to launching your software from the Start menu, you’re in for a real shock as you discover that your precious Start menu is completely gone, being replaced by an entire Start Screen with very large tiles to start your applications.  Even on a large, high-resolution monitor, you’ll only see a few dozen tiles at best.  On a smaller screen, you’ll have to scroll horizontally to find anything that doesn’t in the initial view.  And scrolling is kind of a problem… the only way to scroll efficiently on the keyboard is with the Page Up/Page Down keys (which many laptops have now abandoned), and the mouse’s scroll wheel doesn’t scroll horizontally either.  So you have to use the scrollbar at the bottom of the screen, which is a little awkward. 

Once you’ve started a traditional Windows app, the way to get back to the Start screen to launch another just isn’t apparent.  There is absolutely no visual indication on-screen for how to get back.  Only if you know to move the mouse down to the very bottom left corner of the screen can you figure out how to get back to the Start Screen from the desktop.  It’s mind boggling to me that something so necessary to efficiently use the computer has no button or other visible way on-screen to get to it.  You’ll get used to it, but it seems weird to me that Microsoft didn’t provide even a single button to navigate to the most important part of its interface.  Odd choice.

The good news is that once you’ve gotten used to the strange new interface, that Windows 8 is very fast.  There is as much of a speed improvement going to Windows 8 from Windows 7 as there was going from Vista to 7.  Yep.  It’s just that much faster.  One one of my computers, running an SSD, I was able to get Windows 8 to boot in under two seconds.  I’m not talking about waking from a sleep mode of some kind, I’m talking about a full reboot.  Once the computer got past its system check screens, and the Windows 8 logo first appeared, the login screen was visible and fully usable in under two seconds.  Most computers won’t see that kind of performance, but boot times in less than 10 seconds will be common.

Microsoft has also done a great deal to speed up performance in third party software as well.  They’ve completely revamped all of the graphics code, so everything draws on-screen much faster than it has in the past.  They’ve also done a lot of work to temporarily shut down (or at least pause) programs that run in the background so they don’t slow you down in the software that you’re actually using.  They’ve also dramatically cut back on the number of programs that have to run on the computer in the background for Windows to provide all of its standard functionality… there has been a lot of simplification and consolidation to make sure that everything you need is still there, but that it runs more efficiently.  As a result, your computer will run faster under Windows 8 than it ever has before, and that computers will perform better with less memory (RAM) than they have in the past.

The other nice thing that Microsoft has done is to drastically reduce the price of Windows 8 as compared to previous versions.  If you already have a computer running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7, the upgrade price is just $40.  If you purchase(d) a computer after June of this year, the upgrade is $15.  So if you do decide to go with Windows 8, at least it won’t cost you that much.

Bottom Line

So bottom line is… if you’re comfortable with Windows 7 and don’t want to struggle with a completely new user interface, and you aren’t going to be running it on a tablet anyway… and the computer you’re looking at buying is already plenty fast, I’d skip Windows 8… at least for now.  You could always pay the $15 to buy a license for it, but not actually install it just yet. 

As for me, I’ll be keeping one computer around with Windows 8 so I can test my software on it, but other than that I don’t plan to upgrade any of them, and I don’t have any plans to buy a computer with Windows 8 on it.

The other thing to be aware of is the new Windows RT tablets that will be available at Windows 8 launch.  It’s important to know that Windows RT is not Windows 8, and these devices cannot run traditional Windows software.  They can ONLY run Windows RT apps (sometimes also called Windows 8-style apps), so you’re talking about a completely new investment in software, very little of which will be available for a little while yet.  Try thinking of Windows RT as “Not Windows” because it doesn’t even remotely resemble the Windows you are used to.  The software you already own won’t work on it no matter how hard you try.  If you need to run Windows software on a new tablet/computer, Windows 7/8 are your ONLY options.

Apple iPad: The Aftermath

Just as predicted, Apple announced the iPad today.  If you weren’t following the announcements, it is a thin device with a 9.7” screen that is more-or-less a big iPod Touch with some new software added to it. 

Things I Like

• The web browser on the iPad is going to be its killer app.  With a large high resolution screen and true tabbed browsing, this is the device’s best potential use. 
• The email app looks nice too.
• The book reader is going to be nice for casual lookup of short passages of text.
• The device can run existing iPhone software at either native or double resolution.
• The photo viewer is nice.
• The IPS LCD panel is going to have a great picture (for an LCD).
• If it can really achieve 10 hours of battery life, this is impressive.
• Apps written in the future can take advantage of the larger screen.

Things I See as Problems

• The on-screen keyboard is going to be tedious to use.  Primarily because (1) your fingers can’t feel the keys to know where they are, and (2) because the keys are touch sensitive you can’t rest them on the screen, meaning you’ll have to hover your hands over the device.  This makes writing emails and documents something you’d prefer to have a real computer for.
• The new iWork applications are going to be next to useless if you don’t have the optional dock and keyboard.  Nobody is going to write papers, or create spreadsheets or presentations without a real keyboard.
• The fact that Apple did not add multitasking (running two apps at the same time) really reduces the possible functionality of this device.  You can’t listen to Pandora and write an email at the same time, for example.  They REALLY need to fix this for both the iPad and iPhone.
• The Maps app is a good idea, but this doesn’t have a real GPS, so its kind of useless for navigation.
• Getting your own photos and videos onto the device requires going through a computer.  Or in the case of photos, with an optional connecting cable to connect to a limited selection of cameras. 
• The device is too large to carry around with me.  It’s going to get left on the couch all of the time, because that’s the only place a device like this makes much sense.  If I’m out and about I’m going to need the full capabilities of a notebook computer.  So the iPad stays home.
• Reading long books isn’t really going to be a great experience.  Our eyes prefer the non-backlit look of paper over backlit screens when staring at a device for long periods of time. Reading of newspapers and (someday) magazine articles should be fine.
• The device requires a computer for setup and maintenance, as well as more permanent storage.  If Apple is trying to replace a computer (which seems to be their aim) they shouldn’t require a computer.
• The device seems a little bit expensive for being just a large iPod Touch.  I’m glad to see the entry price at just $499, but its 16GB storage isn’t enough if people expect to store much video content on it, especially if it is high definition.
• This is not a device suited to the educational market.  Nobody is going to take notes on an on-screen keyboard (nor does the book reader seem to support that anyway), and I doubt that many people will carry the dock and keyboard with them.  A notebook computer makes so much more sense in that application.  Since it is going to require a computer anyway, this isn’t a good educational solution.
• While the device is not locked to AT&T, AT&T’s network is the only one that really lets you take advantage of the 3G radio in the 3G-equipped models.  They should have offered Verizon and T-Mobile as options as well.  At least the data plans aren’t too expensive.
• I’m going to list multitasking a second time.  A device with a screen this big shouldn’t be limited to running one app at a time.  This is a major failing on Apple’s part.  I really hope they fix this.

Prediction Results

So, how did I do on my predictions from last night?

Tablet (iPad)

• Large iPod Touch, with emphasis on electronic book and multimedia.  Pretty much correct.  I didn’t predict that they would have iWork available for it (their Office-like product), but I guess they need to have some sort of justification for some business use of the device.
• No e-Ink screen, uses conventional LCD.  Check.
• Tool for students and readers: They didn’t really focus on the educational use of the device other than to mention that textbooks will be available on it.  They did make a big deal of the new iBooks software for it, making it a reader.  Half credit.
• WiFi & 3G connectivity. WiFi was right, 3G is available, but AT&T only.  I predicted we’d see Verizon as an option, which we don’t.  No carrier subsidies (or even contract).  40% right.
• Priced $700-900.  Actual pricing is $499 to $829 depending on storage and whether you get it with the 3G radio.  So I was $200 too high on the low end, $70 too high on the high end.
• Available March-April.  Wi-Fi only version coming end of March, 3G version coming end of April.  Bingo.
• Name won’t include “i.”  Wrong.  I was hoping they’d abandon that.  iPad is a terrible name, though, especially if you’ve seen the MadTV skit.
• No stylus.  Yep.

iPhone

• No significant changes for the iPhone.  Check.
• New 3.2 version announced.  Yes, but for the iPad only for now.
• No 4.0 announcement.  Check.
• No new hardware.  Check.
• No announcement of coming to new carriers.  Check.

Mac

• No new iMacs or Mac Mini.  Check.
• Refresh of 17” MacBook Pro.  Nope.  Wrong.
• Solid State Disks option for all models.  Nope.

iPod

• No iPod announcements.  Check.

Software

• iLife suite upgraded to 2010.  Nope.
• iWork suite upgraded to 2010.  No.  But announced for iPad.
• MobileMe updated for tablet.  No announcements made.  But I still see this coming before long to allow iWork to synchronize over the air.
• iTunes updated to 9.1.  Nope.  Or at least no announcement.  I bet it will be for when the iPad is actually released.
• Streaming content announcement.  I predicted it wouldn’t be made now, but will be made before long.  Correct on no announcement, but no score.

I told you so…

If you go back and read my July 26th post, I was pretty much dead on on what the Apple tablet device was going to be.  I should have stuck with that post as my official predictions; I was closer in that post 6 months ago than I was in last night’s.  I gotta quit listening to the media.

Buying a Laptop: Part Très

It's been seven months since I bought my last laptop, so I've really been itching to get a new one. Just kidding! I usually get new ones about every two years, not every six months!

Seriously, though… I really, really loved my Dell XPS M1210. The size was perfect, it lasted forever on a battery, it was super fast… overall an excellent product and an excellent buy. But recently I've gotten involved in projects that involve touchscreen user interfaces (my Little Caesars, video switching, and car computer projects just to name a few) and it has gotten to a point where it would be nice to have a touchscreen laptop to demonstrate, test, and use these apps away from my development environment. At the same time Brad mentioned to me that he was looking for a new laptop, so I decided to take the opportunity to sell my newest beloved computer and get one with all of the features that I have really wanted all along. Fortunately I had gotten an amazing deal on the XPS, and I was able to pass that along to Brad and still get a decent amount of money for a used machine. If I had paid full price for the XPS I don't think I could have parted with it at a price that anyone would be willing to pay. And Brad loves his new computer.

Tablet PCs (especially convertibles) have always intrigued me but they have always been way too expensive to justify their purchase for my needs. But within the last several months a few less expensive models have become available. I almost always like Dell laptops so that was the first thing I looked at… the Latitude XT. Super nice, super expensive (and multi-touch for anyone that excited about that buzzword). To configure a machine modestly for the way I was going to use it came to about $3200 (plus tax and shipping). Way too much. So I started to investigate other options. HP makes a much less expensive tablet, the tx2000, and I was planning on that one until I discovered it lacks a FireWire interface, which I need for capturing video for the video switching application. It also has a (slow) AMD processor and doesn't have any expandability via PC Card or ExpressCard slot, so I couldn't even add FireWire either. Brent suggested I look at what Toshiba had to offer and originally I thought they were going to be too expensive (as they have always been in the past) or missing key features. Turns out their Portege M700 model comes in lots of different configurations and can be setup with the features I want, and the price isn't too bad. I ended up selecting the M700-S7044V. Everything I wanted, and affordable.

So it arrived yesterday. And it is a lot cooler than I thought it was going to be. Here are some of its features, some of which I wasn't aware of prior to purchase:

• Super fast Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 (new lower power 45nm chip), 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD. My fastest computer to date actually. Came with Vista Business (which is what I use normally) so I didn't have to format the hard drive and re-install Windows like I have had to do on my last several Dells.
  
• Both Pen and Touch-screen interfaces. I can either use the pen, or touch the screen with my finger. Whenever the pen is in proximity of the screen the touch feature is disabled so you can safely rest your hand on the screen while you are writing. The pen is also pressure sensitive so if you work in programs like Photoshop, you can vary the width or opacity of a line by varying the pressure applied. Not that I am an artist, but it give drawing on the computer a much more natural feel and better visual results. The pen also has an eraser on the top, so if you make a mistake you can flip it over and "erase" it. Or you can just cross out the mistake and it will remove it.
  
• The handwriting recognition in Vista is pretty amazing. I write really fast and have really bad handwriting and it still somehow manages to figure out what I am writing. Anywhere you would use a keyboard in Windows, you can write on the screen with the pen and it will translate for you.
  
• It has a fingerprint scanner and it works with Windows domain logins, unlike Windows XP. So to log onto my computer I just swipe my finger across the sensor, or use...
  
• Pen-based signature login. If I have the pen in hand when starting up, I can sign the screen and that logs me into Windows.
  
• Alternately, it can be programmed to automatically log you in if your cell phone is nearby (detected via Bluetooth). If this feature was setup I would never have to enter a password as long as my cell phone is nearby. For some reason it doesn't support my phone though, so I can't use this right now.
  
• LED backlight on the screen. The whole screen is more evenly lit than most LCDs, and it uses less battery power to do it.
  
• Accelerometer built-in. Not incredibly useful yet. But it does have a couple cool features. Like if I were to drop or knock the laptop off of the table it would sense the fall and brace the hard disk for impact. But based on some of the demos I could write games based on the tilt of the machine (e.g. get the ball in the hole). The included software doesn't have a lot of capabilities based on tilt/acceleration, but you can do a few things, like launch a program or bring up the Start menu if you tilt the computer backward then forward, or left then right. Interesting technology.
  
• Built-in webcam and microphone. Sure beats taping a USB webcam onto the back of the screen for video conferencing.
  
• Comes with Microsoft OneNote software. This program is amazing for taking notes. It even includes a search feature that lets you search your handwritten notes and any pictures you take for any text. Yes, even though you are handwriting your notes, they are searchable. So if I can't remember where in my notes I wrote about a certain topic or word, I can just click the search box and start typing. It also includes a feature that lets you record audio (from the built-in microphone or an external microphone), and as long as the recording is fairly good quality that audio is searchable as well! So you take it to class, take handwritten notes, record the teacher, and later you can tell it to find any words or phrases in the handwritten notes or the audio recording. It also syncs up the audio with the notes you are taking at the time so you can either listen to the recording based on any section of the notes, or view the notes taken at any point in the audio. Amazing stuff!
  
• It works with my existing APC universal power adapter, which lets me power the machine from AC, in a car, or on an airplane. (I had to buy a separate Dell branded power adapter to do this with them.)
  
• 802.11n wireless networking, Bluetooth 2.1, and gigabit wired Ethernet.
  

So I've only had it for about 23 hours now but I can already tell I'm really gonna like this machine. And as much as I loved and miss my Dell XPS, this new machine will take its place very nicely.