Windows 8.1's little changes are a huge improvement
On paper, the list of changes that Microsoft made to Windows
8.1 don't seem all that major. No, the app tiles aren't gone. Yes, the Start
button is back, but not exactly as you remember it.
But it isn't until you actually start using the latest
version of Windows that you can appreciate the big benefits of little tweaks.
Start button: The return of the Start button to its rightful
spot on the desktop taskbar is a perfect example.
The Start button's main function in Windows 8.1 is actually
to call up the Start screen (the series of app tiles that Microsoft (MSFT,
Fortune 500) calls "Modern UI," which was introduced in Windows 8) --
not the labyrinth of nested menus that it used to hide. But when you're in
desktop mode and you click the Start button, it won't take you completely out
of the desktop. Instead, a semi-transparent version of the Modern UI will float
on top of the desktop, allowing you to choose an app.
That feature also allows you to control how you organize the
Start screen. You can quickly lump together all the icons for your desktop apps
in the Modern UI and label them as such.
Windows 8 says goodbye to the Start button
Windows 8 says goodbye to the Start button
In other words, the new Start button brings back all the
functionality of the Start button from Windows 7, but with the look and feel of
the more modern Windows 8.1.
Related story: 3 ways to improve Apple's Mac OS X
Snap view: The biggest change in Windows 8.1 is the
expansion of the "snap view" feature that enables multiple apps on
the screen at the same time.
Windows 8.1 will let you run up to eight apps side by side
-- up from just two in Windows 8. (That's provided you have two 2560x1600
resolution monitors. On a smaller device like the Surface, you can still only
have two.)
Unlike Windows 8, which ran the second app in snap view as a
more limited widget in a small strip of the screen, Windows 8.1 lets users
decide how much space each app takes up on the screen -- half? a third? a
quarter? Your call!
To make Windows 8.1 users feel less locked into a single
app, snap view will automatically launch in certain situations. For example, if
you're reading an email and you click on a link, you will no longer exit the
email app and go into the browser. Instead, the screen will automatically split
itself into two (if it isn't already), and Internet Explorer will pop up right
next to your email app. You can even rearrange panes and drag and drop files
between them as easily as you would two windows in desktop mode.
Related story: Windows 8 fixes are on the way
App improvements: Microsoft has put in a lot of work into
more tightly integrating its own services throughout Windows 8.1.
For example, if you search for a musician using the Bing
search app, links and play buttons to that artist's songs and albums will be
integrated into the results.
When you receive a Skype call and your computer is locked,
you will be able to answer the call without having to first unlock your
computer.
And most importantly, the SkyDrive cloud storage service
will be more tightly woven into Windows 8.1. SkyDrive won't just make your
cloud files look and feel native inside Windows, but it will also sync all your
Windows and app settings on the fly, so that you don't have to reconfigure
every Windows 8.1 device you use.
Related story: Analyst wants Microsoft to break up
Even littler things: It's not just tweaks to big conceptual
ideas that make Windows 8.1 promising. Microsoft paid attention to little
technical details as well.
When you have more than one monitor, for instance, Windows
8.1 will make sure you can independently adjust scaling for each one so that
text, icons and other visual elements are optimally sized and proportioned on
each display. (This was a major problem when using the Surface Pro with an
external monitor.)
Another tiny fix that goes a long way is how the Start
Screen organization process has been cleaned up. Being able to name groups of
tiles gives the screen an added sense of order. Instead of pinning every newly
installed app to the Start Screen, Windows 8.1 now just adds new apps to a
larger list of apps one menu level below. That helps cut down on the chaos of
the Start Screen, making it just about the apps that matter to the user.
And having the ability to move entire groups of tiles at
once -- as opposed to one by one -- eliminates a tedious process of
personalizing the Start Screen.
No going back to the drawing board: Before Microsoft first
pulled the cover off of Windows 8.1 in May, there were claims that negative
feedback and poor sales of Windows 8 had forced the company to rethink its
strategy and largely abandon its futuristic overhaul of Windows. That couldn't
be further from the truth.
With Windows 8.1, Microsoft is slowly pushing us deeper into
its Modern UI. Many of the new tweaks to Windows exist to make the Modern UI
more enticing as the primary mode of computing.
Microsoft's execution of its PC/tablet hybrid operating
system concept still isn't flawless, but its patience in adhering to its vision
is commendable. By addressing some of Windows 8's more problematic aspects with
subtle, iterative improvements, Microsoft is slowly transitioning its user base
to this radical new mode of computing.
That not only makes Windows 8.1 a promising upgrade, but it
may go a long way towards validating Microsoft's somewhat risky strategy. To top of page
0 comments:
Speak up your mind
Tell us what you're thinking... !