Posted on 07/24/2015 7:57:51 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The most anticipated feature of Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows 10, set for release on Wednesday, isn't some new application. It's the return of the traditional Start screen, which Microsoft ditched in August 2012, with Windows 8.
For that reason, Windows 10 is a lot like Coca-Cola Classic.
Let me explain.
When the Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) announced in April 1985 that New Coke would replace the original formula of its flagship soft drink, consumers protested. Some even hoarded cases of the original flavor beverage.
New Coke is now seen as a cautionary tale about tampering with a well-established and successful brand.
In October 2012, Microsoft introduced Windows 8, a new version of its popular PC operating system with a radically redesigned user interface. Win 8 was designed with touchscreens in mind, even though few people had or wanted a touchscreen PC. The operating system was clunky to use with a keyboard and mouse.
Like New Coke, Windows 8 forced changes on the public that the company thought people would prefer. And like the dud soft drink, consumers rejected Windows 8.
Even now after almost three years on the market, Windows 8 has only mustered 16% market share, based on PCs on the Internet, according to Net Applications. By comparison, Windows 7 still has 61% of the market and 14-year-old Windows XP has 12%.
Just like Coke drinkers stockpiled the original formula beverage, many PC owners stuck with their Windows XP and 7 machines and refused to move to the new OS. And PC makers amassed Windows 7 licenses that they could install on new PCs if customers so desired.
When Coca-Cola Co. brought back the original formula three months after the debut of New Coke, it tried to put a positive spin on the move by rebranding the old drink "Coca-Cola Classic."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.investors.com ...
A group of tiles will float over the traditional screen. It will look like a Windows phone taped to the desk top. I, for one, am looking forward to it. I have two Windows phones and really like them.
The Start Menu in 10 is more like hybrid of the Windows 8 Start Screen with the Windows 7 Start Menu. Clicking Start pulls up a window with the Start Menu on the left and the tiles from the Start Screen on the right.
At least in Windows 10, on desktop and "conventional" laptop machines, you deal primarily with the Desktop interface so familiar with Windows 7 and earlier users.
Windows NT 3.1
Windows NT 3.5
Windows NT 3.51
Windows NT 4.0
Windows 2000
Doesn't matter how easily replaced it is. The simple fact is that Microsoft screwed up royally, and no amount of "well we can repaint it" disguises that fact.
> Seriously. If your tech review can't get past agonizing over the Start menu...
It wasn't a tech review. It was commentary on the UI.
So it's no different that if they'd shipped it with unfixable errors in the basic architecture?
No, you’re not the only one who doesn’t miss it. I love Windows 8 and Server 2012 and am very disappointed in Microsoft’s decision to make this change.
Besides, people are going to find something else to bitch about with the new OS. They ALWAYS do.
I’m curious which add-ons do you use?
Some of the small utilities are:
IE Booster 2
ie5webaccessories
ieSpell
webdevaccess
The old tabbed IE-based browser [Fastbrowser Pro] has a built-in text2speech reader feature that is nice for lengthy articles when old eyes are tired. I use FBP primarily for FR because it works very well with the ‘archaic’ format.
[Note that I am not complaining about FR being ‘archaic’ — because I prefer it without the enhancements and glitz and glitter on most other websites.]
Windows 8 is unusable without doing this very simple thing. I am amazed at how stupid and cow like people are when it comes to a simple installion. And you have a local kid or teen do it for you if you don't know how.
I like Windows 8 GUI over Windows 7. But one must install a 3rd party start button
Mooooooooo.......all you Windows 8 complainers
Agreed!
People forget, but it wasn’t until SP 2 at leasrt, and arguably SP3 that XP wasn’t a hoorbly and buggy OS. Does no one remember the 56 day bug?
Ctrl-c is no longer a ‘break’ signal? Wow. That seems incredibly stupid to me.
What most people do not know is that there were at least 6 and possibly 8 different formulas of "new" coke out there. At the time New Coke came out, I was working for the market research company that did all their surveys and market share analysis. From my perspective, watching the entire New Coke campaign from start to finish, I thought the entire thing was absolutely brilliant.
We did a lot of pre-launch surveys and trackers prior to the campaign. After they introduced New Coke, the "old" Coke left the market pretty quickly. In less than a month, there was no 'old' Coke to be found nationwide. There were still places you could get it (Japan, and Mexico I remember specifically - I remember talking to folks who shipped cases from Japan). Now, when we'd do the surveys after New Coke had been out for a while, it was obvious from responses that there were several different 'flavors' in different regions. They were testing reception of them, and performing what was essentially a massive consumer preference test using the entire country as a testbed.
We'd start the surveys by asking for what people had purchased in the past week. What I found interesting was the mass of people that were buying New Coke out of what could only be called a force of habit, because you'd get to the point where they started asking specific questions about taste, carbonation, sweetness and whatnot, and you'd get all these terrible responses - that the people really hated it, as almost a visceral reaction, yet we'd already determined that they were still buying it.
There were also distinct regional differences. Some regions obviously were much sweeter than others. Some had higher or lower carbonation. They tabulated comments from the regions, looking for whatever it was they wanted to see, and over time, we saw things normalize a bit, with more consistency nationwide, though there still seemed to be some regional differences that were harder for me to quantify from my point of view anyway.
So, eventually they brought back old coke, called it 'classic coke', (the surveys regarding the name were hilarious, you'd read through this big long list of confusing options to the interviewee, then you'd stop, and say, "I realize that was fairly confusing, so I'd like to read it to you again". And you had to re-read it. If the respondent wouldn't let you, it wasn't considered a completed call, so you didn't get credit for it. I was a supervisor at the time, but I spent a fair amount of time closing quotas we had to meet myself as well. i.e., we needed one more female in New Jersey who'd purchased at least a twelve pack over the past week and it was getting close to 9pm their time. It was madness.
Bottom line when all the dust settled. ... Coke gained 6% market share. The soft drink market is bloody huge. 6% is a lot of money.
That's not even to mention the huge press boost given to Coca-Cola by the almost unimaginable amount of free publicity they were getting during the whole thing.
Overall, I have a completely different reaction to what most people call the 'new coke fiasco'. I thought the entire exercise was fascinating, and wish I could have talked to some of the executives involved at the time. It was some of the most interesting work I had at that company.
Does anybody know if HP printers will continue to work with WIN 10?
Uh, no.i wasn’t speaking for myself. People forget how bad thier stuff can be when it comes out. XP was horribly buggy when it came out.
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