RE: Before everyone dismisses Microsoft, the upcoming Windows 10 operating system now goes back to emphasizing the Desktop user interface over the Modern tiled touchscreen user interface.
Windows 10 is being BETA TESTED by over a million techies and users even as I write this.
If you try to install Windows 10, the act of installing will give you the appropriate legal warnings to scare people away from the Windows 10 preview.
I have however seen several of my colleagues decide to brave it and upgrade a computer that had been running Windows 8.1.
The install was quite smooth and I have yet to see then experience any crashes or other major issues that one expects of such an early stage product.
Here’s what I observe:
The OS returns the Start Menu and smartly extends it with a version of the tiles that are key features on Windows 8 and the Windows Phone OS.
The difference is that this time, their use is obvious and they enhance rather than detract from the experience.
One million downloads of a very early version of the new OS shows that while we can concede that it might not be as hip as Apple or Google, Microsoft still has a huge user base invested in its products.
Initial feedback were mostly positive.
If Microsoft continues to listen to the critiques and suggestions of these Beta users, I don’t see why Windows 10 won’t succeed the way Windows 7 did.
I am not a cheerleader for any particular tech giant but I have to say when seeing a Surface Pro 3 at a mall kiosk along with their Nokia line of phones, that these products are awesome; actually beyond awesome. And I usually refrain from superlatives.
The kiosk was manned by 4 guys in Microsoft T-shirts. The one that showed me the Surface Pro 3 and the Nokia Windows phones said he had worked for Google for 8 years and was more than excited about Microsoft than of any other tech giant (of course! he was working their kiosk). But still I was mesmerized by the Microsoft products on display and it takes a lot to impress me. To test him I told this fellow that Google Maps was an unbeatable App and he agreed with me saying he still used Google Maps and that it was number 1 but then he showed me now the Surface Pro 3 and Nokia Windows phones both ran Google Apps.
The Nokia camera and App are in a whole different league by themselves with performance that is dazzling. Nothing comes close; nothing.
The pen stylus for the Surface is amazing and I am one that has never thought to use a pen stylus. I recommend people see the Surface for the pen stylus alone. It is like no other stylus ever seen and for the first time I see myself using one.
Other observations I have been aggregating for over 2 years are confirming a pattern of disinformation and sabotage of Microsoft products.
I have now confirmed a widespread sabotage campaign committed against Microsoft products in major stores like Best Buy and against gaming equipment related to Xbox in such chains as GameStop.
I have also detected a campaign of disinformation against Microsoft and a pumping of Apple including its financials.
Many years ago Microsoft was on top and the shoe was on the other foot. Then in the past decade they seem to have had their chickens come home to roost. They had become so unpopular in my house that I never thought of them anymore and thought they could possibly contract further. But now they have seemingly turned a corner and their new products are dazzlingly attractive and are priced extremely competitively in comparison to Apple.
I see Microsoft’s Surface and Nokia Windows phones spreading like wildfire. Google seems to have a permanent edge in its Maps App which also includes its awesome search capability. Apple seems to be suffering from conceit, overconfidence, self-delusion believing its own cheerleading hype while keeping its pricing artificially high (just as it did in the 1990 years when it nearly went bankrupt).