The number 8 is widely regarded as a ‘magic number’ by some cultures and it might as well be the luckiest charm yet for Microsoft Corporation as it unveiled its sparkling new Windows 8. In a refreshingly bold move, Microsoft has gone ahead with introducing a slew of changes, promising the users an experience like never before. But, will it be palatable to everyone’s tastes? Let us find out more.
To begin with, the Start button just went missing in action. The desktop sports an entirely new look with applications occupying the entire screen space as icons. Right clicking the icons now produces a bar at the bottom of the screen instead of a drop down menu. This move looks a bit unnecessary for PCs, considering the fact that the keyboard and mouse are already there and this thus seems more suited to tablets and mobiles operating on the Windows platform. Picture password for user authentication comes as a new development in which the user has to input the password as a series of gestures over a picture. Booting has become faster with a flattering average startup time of 20 seconds. On startup, the user has the option of logging in with his Microsoft password, by virtue of which all data will be automatically backed up on the cloud network. The user is free to select all the applications for which an online sync option is desired and has all the room to customize it according to his wish.
For those who are operating on systems with a rickety old hardware, there’s good news in store. Windows 8 gives the processor a shot in the arm, with a surprisingly fast speed. Keeping the younger generation in mind, a ‘People’ app has been provided, which provides all social networking updates and also serves as an address book. Also, multitasking just got easier with the ‘Switcher’ option. This allows the user to toggle between different apps with lightning fast speed without compromising on the visibility and screen space. The Microsoft Store has also been added which is akin to the marketplace for Android and there is no need to create an account with Microsoft for buying apps from the online store.
Microsoft has undoubtedly brought in a lot of new changes to the table, but for users who have operated on previous versions of Windows, they will take some time in getting used to the new one. Then there is the inevitable debate of whether it will be able to fare as well in PCs as it does in mobile devices with a touch screen facility. But one thing is certain РMicrosoft has ushered a new era of computer services by treading on the path less travelled and has done that with a lot of ̩lan.