We first want to be clear, the Pros and Cons listing on v3.co.uk is a very good one and covers most of the key features and pitfalls of Windows 8 in the market (we highly recommend you read it). We are not trying to say they missed anything or that the article was a bad one. What we wanted to do here is add information and also to put some of the items in a broader context. With that out of the way let’s dive into their list and give you our input.
From the Pros side of the list:
5. Improved touch experience for tablet users
This is a key factor for many as they view the market from the perspective of the iPad against everything. While we agree that Windows 8 has a very good touch interface it is not that accurate when working with small details. It is also important to remember that most companies are not going to replace their users’ monitors with touch screen monitors or with tablets. This pro is therefore limited to people that are considering a tablet only. As V3 shows later, it could also be of limited importance when it comes to the current market and who holds the lion’s share in terms of tablets. It also should be noted that many applications for Windows are not designed for touch and become very cumbersome to work with in a touch environment. It is also not a great feature for productivity as the on screen keyboard (although very well designed) covers half of your screen real estate. Microsoft also dropped the Alt, Ctrl, Shift, and F-Keys making the keyboard annoying to use at times.
4. Storage spaces
Disk pooling (also known as JBOD or Just a Bunch of Drives) was a feature that was in Windows NT 4.0 when full software raid was popular. Microsoft has brought it back because so many IO controllers already include RAID they felt they could piggy back on this. The problem with spanning volumes (or pooling them) is the chance of your data becoming heavily fragmented and taking up system resources to keep it indexed. Microsoft has done a fairly good job with their mirroring support, but in all reality if you want to mirror your drives you are probably better off using your motherboards RAID controller and cutting Windows out of the mix. It is a gimmick feature at best.
3. Windows 8 will integrate well with Windows Phone 8
Here we have to disagree with the guys over at V3. Windows Phone and Windows Phone 8 represent a fraction of the market. It is not going to suddenly explode onto the scene because Windows 8 looks like it. Also in an enterprise environment Microsoft’s Exchange already has built in tools to remote wipe and secure phones connected to it Via Active Sync. You do not need Windows Phone to get that feature and have not for some time. Many companies also already use software to control what can and cannot be installed on phones via IT policies that can be pushed through Exchange. It was a big selling feature of Exchange 2010 that you can do this with phones other than Windows Phone.
2. Better recovery and reset options
Microsoft has built in some nice tools for recovering devices that are infected with malware or have become corrupted. However, this is for the consumer. IT has been the policy of IT shops for years to push user files (including their user profile folders) to a central server that is backed up nightly. In Windows Small Business Server it is automatically done when you connect the PC to the domain. This practice is unlikely to go away so for the most part IT departments simply wipe and reload systems that are damaged anyway. The use of cloning tools, like Symantec Ghost or Acronis True Image, are used to maintain exact copies of systems including applications in the event that a restore is needed. These tools will honestly not change that policy as it is also in place if a system is stolen or lost. IT departments also do not want users performing self-diagnostics or repair as that too often leads to even more time spect correcting the error.
1. Windows RT devices will have Office 2013 built-in
While we agree that having a limited version of Windows RT will make some happy, the fact is that the version that is included is also very limited. You will get Word, Excel and PowerPoint. You will be missing Outlook and Access. Outlook is a very big thing to leave out of Office. We were shocked when we heard this as Outlook is what many companies use to as their collaboration and tracking program. It is a central feature for far too many businesses and one that the built in Mail and Calendar apps are not going to replace. Our feeling here is that Microsoft is trying to be too much like Apple by only providing three productivity tools and forcing reliance on their built in apps for mail and the calendar.
So the list is very solid, but when you put them into a greater context you can see that Windows 8 is at a little of a disadvantage in the enterprise space which is where Microsoft makes most of its money.
