MarketWatch Slams Windows 8, Calls it Unmitigated Disaster
The MarketWatch reviews the latest release of Windows 8, and it isn't pretty.
John Dvorak from MarketWatch recently uploaded his review of the current Windows 8 Release Preview, calling the upcoming OS an "unmitigated disaster" that could possibly hurt the company and its future as an OS provider. While this opinion may sound a little harsh regarding an operating system still baking in the oven, many of his comments echo remarks made by other journalists in their hands-on reviews, past and present.
"The real problem is that it is both unusable and annoying," Dvorak writes. "It makes your teeth itch as you keep asking, 'Why are they doing this!?' First of all, the system-software product is mostly divorced from all the thought and trends developed by Windows over the years, as if to say that they were wrong the whole time, so let's try something altogether new. No business will tolerate this software, let me assure you. As a productivity tool, it is unusable."
He goes on to point out that the blocky Metro interface is both more useful and wanted on a smartphone or tablet than a PC. Granted that AIO PC's sell rather well and sport touch-capable screens, do consumers really use this feature on a daily basis? Dvorak for one doesn't like finger smudges on his screen, thus preferring the old-school mouse-keyboard combo assumingly loved by most desktop users.
He also points out that there are issues with trying to use one GUI across every platform, and that perhaps not everyone will want a unified experience. Both Apple and Google have already pointed out this specific issue, saying that separate form factors need their own operating system due to their specialized hardware-based benefits.
"This is insanity, plain and simple. It’s even more nuts knowing that nobody is waiting in line to buy Windows Phone in the first place, and the tablet is untested in the market. So the company jumps ahead to the desktop?" he writes. "The potential for this OS to be an unrecoverable disaster for the company is at the highest possible level I’ve ever seen. It ranks up there with the potential for disaster that the Itanium chip presented for Intel Corp. It’s that bad."
Dvorak predicts that the public and enterprise sectors will demand Windows 7 throughout 2013 until Microsoft abandons the "soulless Metro interface," and hires on a new design team fast.
To read the full evaluation of Windows 8 Release Preview, head here. For the record, he does admit that the Metro UI is "refreshingly slick-looking and modern," but then adds that it's "without any charm whatsoever."
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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-Fran- I wonder if those reviews are from Intel paid grunt journalists as a form of payback to MS because MS its now supporting ARM and having better Bulldozer support...Reply
Heh, bad conspiracy theories aside, I'll reserve judgement until I use it.
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mman74 Why do I get the feeling that this is the little boy in The Emperor's New Clothes? I have been feeling the exact same thing, weird cumbersome interface, nothing works and is out how you are used to, tries to hard to do two things but succeds on neither front. I was thinking that but didn't say it in case everyone thought I was dumbass who didn't know anything about progress! LOL!Reply -
illfindu I think people are missing a huge point about windows 8 you can turn off the stupid metro UI and when you do you basically have some thing VERY close to windows 7 with some cool features , apps* if you dont like them dont use them but they dont take away* and this has been shown over and over a more efficient use of system resources. I'am using it right now and personally once i took the skin off it feels like windows 7.5 in a good wayReply -
brucek2 I don't understand the "hurt the company" part. While I could easily see Windows 8 going unloved (especially by desktop and enterprise users), the beauty of Microsoft's position is that even so, how would it impact their business results?Reply
Old computers will continue to age and need to be replaced. Most purchasers will find that their new desktop or laptop will come with Windows 8 whether they want it or not. And many enterprise agreements will include the right to "upgrade" to Windows 8. Whether they actually do upgrade or not, MS will combine the huge numbers from the upgrade-eligible plus the new-computers-sold pools and be able to report huge sales of Windows 8 no matter what, no matter how bad it is.
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killerclick I'm a Metro-hater so I think this is spot on, but in 1984 this guy predicted Macintosh would fail because it forces a mouse on users, because it has no cursor keys or a numeric keypad, because icons as a concept are unintuitive and because fonts are unnecessary. He also said the iPhone and iPad would not be successful, so... now I'm not sure. Let's wait and see. :)Reply
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math1337 Uninstall all of the metro apps(DO IT NOW) and you're left with windows 7 with pointy corners, a new start menu, and ribbons. It's not all that bad...Reply
Edit:
It literally takes less than 2 minutes, then you'll be free from "metro" forever.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJnutLKIzzU -
illfindu Math kinda gets it but you also should consider what i said about better resource use windows 8 can run on some REALLY bare bones set ups that even windows 7 cant run on.Reply -
webdev511 I saw the headline and had some concern, but then I saw that it was John Dvorak doing the panning. He's got such a hardon for Apple everything else is crap. Frankly I'd be shocked if he said something nice about anything from Microsoft.Reply