win 8 start menu opens blazingly fast,so it is not at all a limiting factor but an advantage to the OS.why would I ever waste money on an android or ios tablet when i can get win 8 in them?win 8 finally converts tablets to portable PC's.(gosh google must be kidding itself if it thought android really gave much more functionality than watching videos on tablets)
The reason is price, of course. The cheapest Windows 8 tablet announced so far is Acer Iconia W510 at $499 while premium ones like Thinkpad Tablet 2 or Samsung Ativ PC will be $650. I doubt there will ever be a $200 7 inch Windows RT tablet. Not only does Windows RT/8 cost Microsoft also has very strict hardware requirements to ensure a premium experience. I think the minimum specs are like 32GB space, 2GB RAM, DirectX 10 drivers, 1366x768 and as of now only 4 tablet processors are certified - Atom Z2670, AMD Z-60, Tegra 3+ and Snapdragon S4. Can you think of any tablet currently on the market meeting these specs?
Windows 8 is great with keyboard/mouse but it is almost magical on a touch screen. In decades of computing this is honestly the first time a piece of software is pleasurable to use. Not just that, it has all the power of Windows 7 and more as a bonus, in totality it makes iOS and Android devices look like toys.
On the other hand if you just want to watch videos, Transformer Infinity and iPad offer higher resolution screens for $499 and to be fair most tablet users just use it casually as a side device...
The other thing is that iOS and Android have way more apps. But I don't think that matters, most of the apps are junk anyway and the big developers and all apps worth a damn will surely have Windows Store apps out soon. Microsoft says there will be 100,000 apps by January. There are 5000 apps now, even before release,
The Aero animations are there but the transparency has been scrapped.
About the start button, I guess you are right. However there are a couple of things I miss :
- Searching files instantly from the start menu (the search feature only searches the apps)
- Running run commands like cmd directly from the search bar
- Quickly accessing My Computer through the start menu
But I guess I'll have to get used to it.
Searching files is actually much easier. The default view is Apps but just click/tap on Files underneath it. The old menu was really clumsy but the new one is very elegant while looking for files, automatically grouping file types and of course the added real estate makes it really easy to find what you need. It is so good that I have stopped using Explorer!
It can run many common commands too. Try cmd and it will bring up Command Prompt as the result. Try regedit and it will get you Registry Editor. Additionally, instead of left clicking on the bottom left corner, try right clicking, there's a pretty handy Power Menu. Also accessible through Win+X. Among other things you get command prompt there.
Another advantage of the new Start screen is you can pin not just apps but also folders, locations and even control panel settings. To get Computer, simply open Explorer, right click on Computer and select Pin to Start - you will now see a Computer tile. I have pinned all my frequent apps, folders, settings, etc. I can't remember the last time I opened Explorer or Control Panel in Desktop!
It's all there, but does need some learning.
All of that said, everyone has to realize that this is not Windows 8 as much as Windows Next 1.0. There are many quirks and inconsistencies which is very normal for a brand new platform. The good news is Microsoft is working at a break neck pace. Last week there was a major Cumulative Update. Such updates came only with Service Pack 1 after 1 year, now they have gone ahead and pulled it forward to
before the release!!!
