Is the dual mode UI – Metro and classic Desktop Windows – realistic for today’s computing; or did Microsoft screw the pooch?

One of the biggest problems with Windows 8 that I saw in my review here on Soft32, was Windows 8′s dual mode user interface.  The OS could easily be split in two between both its classic desktop interface and Windows 8′s new MetroUI.  There’s been a lot of debate over this lately.

There are two schools of thought on this – Microsoft should take MetroUI out of Windows 8 and Microsoft should kill off Desktop Windows.  Both represent challenges to the organization. Part 1 of this series will deal with Microsoft taking Metro out of Windows 8.  Part 2 will address what would happen if MS killed off Desktop Windows.

Microsoft Should take MetroUI out of Windows 8
There are a lot of people that are Window experience purists and have been arguing that MS made a serious mistake when they introduced a tablet OS as part of their traditional desktop OS.  In many ways, with certain, realistic and reasonable modifications, Windows Phone can handle tablets very easily.

The OS is already optimized for handheld hardware. It works well on smaller screens. The MetroUI interface is already standardized there, and its users know and understand what it can and cannot do.  They’re used to Live Tiles. They understand what the apps look like and are used to task switching as opposed to true desktop multi-tasking.

I’ve heard both Leo LaPorte and Paul Thurrott speak to this in a recent episode of Windows Weekly.  Both are MS pundits and are on the inside with MS and came out in favor of the combined UI.  I disagree with them; and my review of Windows 8 Consumer Preview outlines why.  The two interfaces are in many ways totally disconnected and create a completely disconnected computing experience.

However, both Leo and Paul brought up a decent point, and I have to agree with them on this 100% – if you pull MetroUI and all of its components out of Windows 8, you kinda forego a reason to release an “upgraded” version of the OS.  In other words, if you pull Metro out of Windows 8, you remove the purpose for the new version.

While the optimizations in Windows 8 totally blow Windows 7 out of the water, if you release those by themselves, what you have is really nothing more than a Windows 7 service pack at best.  If I had my wish, this would be the way that I would go. MetroUI and Classic Windows Desktop are two totally different experiences, and don’t really belong together. Unless and until Microsoft kills off desktop Windows completely, I really don’t think combining the two user interfaces makes sense.

Color me too Apple influenced if you must, but forcing the two to live together is clunky. It creates a confusing end user experience. Developers won’t necessarily know or understand how to develop for the combined interface.  While I’m relatively certain that sandboxing requirements will stay in place regardless of interface, dual mode apps don’t work well and don’t share data very well, either.

Users are used to the classic desktop UI. They understand how it works, and they understand how to pass data to and from apps.  MetroUI is too drastic of a change and too limiting for the standard desktop crowd.  Leaving MetroUI in Windows 8 is going to confuse a great many people and slow its adoption.

In the next page, I’ll speak to what would happen if MS killed off Desktop Windows.

Continue reading…

Related Posts:

• Is Convergence the Way to Go?
• Nokia Windows 8 tablet to hit the stores in early 2012
• Industry In-Fighting is Really Starting to Tick Me Off
• Microsoft Behind the [Mobile] 8-Ball
• Fast and Fluid Future at Mobile World Congress 2012

In a mobile world currently dominated by iOS and Android, does the loss and then open sourcing of WebOS really matter?

I’ve been in mobile devices most of my career. I cut my teeth on them. I’ve watched some devices and operating systems grow up, grow old and die. PalmOS, WindowsCE and Windows Mobile are a few. WinMo was killed for Windows Phone, and its totally different.

WebOS with its cards motif was a big step forward and a huge step away from Palm’s traditional PalmOS. The hardware was ok, the OS was pretty good; but Palm lost their momentum and wasn’t able to turn it around.

Palm mothballed the OS and sold it to HP. HP promised to do something with it, but they couldn’t get it together either. They initially decided to let the OS die, but later decided to revive it and open source it. Its been a number of weeks since that announcement. I can’t help but wonder what the impact of that development means at this time.

In a word or two…not much.

HP’s official development and work with WebOS has ended. They’ve given the software to the development community to tweak and use as they like. Right now, there aren’t any CURRENT devices using the open sourced (or any) version of WebOS. Unless a major hardware manufacturer or OEM decides to go that way, you likely won’t see it, either.

So again, what does that mean? Will it make a difference in an iOS and Android dominated market?

I don’t think so. The iPhone is the iPhone and will continue to grow in popularity all over the world. Android will continue in current and new devices, and be as diverse as the day is long. Windows Phone will continue to chip away at both; and RIM will likely disappear,  regardless of what WebOS does or doesn’t do.

Related Posts:

• Navigating the Mobile Landscape: Ecosystems #2
• RunKeeper – Your personal fitness trainer.
• Industry In-Fighting is Really Starting to Tick Me Off
• APP is the world’s first motion picture to feature your mobile as a second screen
• The Apple & Samsung Trial Results – My Take Now that the Jury is In

With analysts predicting an explosion in computer tablets sales over the next four years, Nokia have joined forces with Microsoft in a bid to break Apple’s iron grip on the market.

The new Nokia Windows 8 tablet which is set to hit the stores some time in 2012 has been designed to seriously challenge the might of the iPad.

Yet, exactly what special attributes will this “new kid on the block” posses to make it a serious contender for Apple’s heavyweight belt. And will its potential success dramatically alter the course of Nokia’s future and fortunes.

Nokia have already tied their colors to Microsoft’s mast and launched a number of Windows Phone handsets in a bid to rejuvenate its smartphone line-up and keep pace with not only Apple, but other rivals such as Samsung that use Google’s Android operating system.

Now the two technological giants are yet again pooling their impressive resources and attempting to make inroads into Apple’s dominance by launching their very own tablet.

Nokia is no stranger to tablets. In 2007 they introduced the unsuspecting public to the Nokia N810, but the keyboard sporting device was always doomed to failure in the same year that the iPhone was busy revolutionizing technology and the way we interact with it.

Other rivals of Apple have already lost millions trying to compete on level terms with the iPad, so how will Nokia’s foray into this difficult market be any different.

For a start the Nokia tablet’s operating system will be the yet to be released Windows 8 software, which will attract hordes of die-hard Microsoft adherents and bait the curiosity of those slightly disappointed with the limitations of the iPad.

Microsoft is still to confirm the exact release of Window 8, but with the company promising to update the platform every three years, it will be due for release some time in 2012, and all Microsoft updates generate mass interest in the technology loving public.

Microsoft has already committed itself to the tune of one billion dollars in ensuring that Nokia’s Windows Phone competes on a level playing field with Apple’s iOS and the Android, and it is guaranteed they will maintain the same levels of focus and commitment to make the Nokia Windows 8 tablet a success.

Since its launch in January 2010, Apple has led the charge in the tablet market and has shifted more than 40 million units. It’s only rivals to date have had an appalling reaction in terms of sales. At the last count, BlackBerry maker RIM had only shipped 700,000 of its PlayBooks and after only 48 days Hewlett-Packard canceled its ill-fated TouchPad.

The last time Nokia made a major foray into the world of computers, was in 2009 with the small laptop – Booklet 3G, and that has remained a niche product, but with the backing of Microsoft and the excitement being generated by Windows 8, the market is Nokia’s for the taking.

As Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said earlier this November, “There’s a new tablet opportunity coming. We see the opportunity. Unquestionably, that will change the dynamics of the tablet market.”

Related Posts:

• Fast and Fluid Future at Mobile World Congress 2012
• Industry In-Fighting is Really Starting to Tick Me Off
• Is Convergence the Way to Go?
• Windows 8 – Dual Mode UI Dichotomy
• The Apple & Samsung Trial Results – My Take Now that the Jury is In