When the Consumer preview of Windows 8 launched I wasted little time downloading and installing the bits on a spare partition. I admit that I did not have the stones a to jump in with both legs, so I still retain a Windows 7 installation no my primary hard disk.
The installation process was very smooth, and all my peripheral devices work without any problems. That includes a scanner and a Windows phone as well as a LifeCam, so no complaints there. I didn’t expect any problems either, and it is not really the most exciting feature of the new Windows OS.
For me, the Metro UI was the most interesting, mainly because I am a huge fan of the Bauhaus inspired UI that is used on Windows Phone. However, I must admit that I am having some difficulties getting used to it on a conventional mouse and keyboard set up. Although it is a lot of fun to use the Metro UI on Windows 8, I am not sure I will be using it a lot once I upgrade fully. I tend to have a whole bunch of apps open at the same time, and Metro does not really support my personal usage scenario. However, I am really looking forward to getting my filthy hands on a Windows tablet, since this UI is perfect for touch – no doubt about that. I think the tablet experience will be really good not only because the UI is fast and fluid, but also because it ties in very nicely with the web services that I use. Considering the technologies used to create the Metro UI I am wondering if Windows 9 will be some sort of shell that will tie all our web services together. Windows 8 does this really well already. There is a seamless integration with Skydrive, Flickr and Facebook to name a few, so all in all the future looks really exciting. Much more exciting that what Apple is doing these days at least.
Hopefully there will be a Nokia tablet, that can compete with the iPad; rumors are certainly plenty around the interwebs.