And Now For Something Completely Different – Windows 8…

Windows 8 Is Completely Different From Windows 7!

Courtesy of BruceB Consulting

On October 25, Microsoft will formally unveil Windows 8, followed closely by a separate presentation of Windows Phone 8 on October 29. Windows 8 computers, notebooks, tablets and hybrid devices will go on sale on October 26, and Windows Phone 8 phones will go on sale through all carriers in early November.

Taken together, the releases represent the most significant change in business and consumer technology since Windows XP arrived eleven years ago. Apple’s mobile devices have changed the world for consumers but Microsoft’s vision is broader and might even have a greater impact in the long run.

Microsoft is engaged in remaking itself on a scale that is rarely attempted by large companies. If it succeeds it will maintain its place on a playing field that increasingly appeared to be limited to Apple and Google and perhaps Amazon. We will be using computers running Windows for many years but the shift to handheld devices is profound and Microsoft was in danger of being left out of it. This is the bet-the-company attempt to avoid turning into IBM, successful and rich but no longer important to anyone outside of enterprises. (And make no mistake – Microsoft’s attempt at a makeover might fail, brought down by poor execution and torrential criticism, and send it down that road, not irrelevant but increasingly ignored.)

Over the next few weeks I will be writing extensively about Windows 8. I’ve been using it exclusively on my computers for months and I have some ideas of what it will take for you to understand it, how I can help make it easier for you to get started, and who should ignore it and stick with Windows 7. I’ll have tips and tricks for you to file away for the day when you get your first Windows 8 computer. I’ll give you some advice about whether to upgrade your computer. I’ll give you some perspective on why you’ll see so many reports by people who just hate it with a white-hot fury. (Or so they’ll say. There might be some other agendas at work.)

Over the next few days we’ll start with a view of Windows 8 from 36,000 feet, the very big picture.

There will be two articles aimed specifically at people using computers in very small businesses: one demonstrating that Windows 8 is exactly the same as Windows 7, the other showing that Windows 8 is completely different than Windows 7. Both articles will be right.

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Let’s see if I can answer your first question before we get to any of the details.

Should you buy Windows 8 the minute it comes out?

No.

Okay, is that clear? Stand down. Nobody should be getting worked up blindly. This is a time for paying attention. By the time it arrives, you’ll know if you’re the kind of person who is excited enough to step up right away.

Now let’s look at the nuances, because I said “no” mostly to make you feel better. Actually it’s possible that some of you should be lined up outside the (virtual) stores on October 26.

Computers

When you buy a computer after October 26, you will likely have a choice between Windows 8 and Windows 7. Some (but not all) of you should choose Windows 8. Many businesses, especially enterprises, will choose Windows 7 for continuity and compatibility. A fair number of people will skip Windows 8 completely. In any case, most desktop computer users will use Windows 8 in a way that emphasizes its similarity to Windows 7.

Notebooks

There will be dozens of new notebooks and hybrids on the market in November with new features – redesigned keyboards and touchscreens and innovative form factors. If you’re in the market for a notebook, wait until November.

There are compelling improvements in Windows 8 for notebooks – some of you may want to replace an existing notebook sooner rather than later to take advantage of Windows 8 as well as the hardware changes that have made notebooks lighter, thinner and faster with longer battery life.

Nonetheless, just as with desktops, many people will want Windows 7 on their new notebooks for familiarity.

Tablets

Microsoft will be selling the Surface tablet, similar in size and concept to an iPad. Lenovo and other manufacturers will have similar tablets – ten inch screens, light, long battery life.

The Windows 8 tablets deserve special attention! They are designed for touch, just like an iPad, but almost all of them will include a lightweight keyboard, making them better suited for doing real work. All of the Windows 8 tablets will have a desktop that resembles the Windows 7 desktop slightly modified for touch, and they will either include Microsoft Office or they will be capable of running Office programs.

Phones

Windows Phone 8 phones will be available from all the carriers starting in November. They will have the same interface as Windows 8 on computers and tablets, an interface that works particularly well on a small device.

If you get a Windows 8 tablet or phone, you will be much more interested in getting a Windows 8 desktop or notebook, because your experience will flow from one to the other seamlessly. The interface, your documents, your Internet favorites, your wallpaper and so much more will be the same on all your devices. Microsoft is creating a walled garden to rival Apple and Google and your experience will be better if you stay within the garden.

Technology is arriving at a dizzying pace. You’re feeling overwhelmed. Clear your mind, take a few deep breaths, and follow along with me as we start down the road that leads to Windows 8. You’ll arrive relaxed and in a better position to make some informed decisions about how it affects you.

Related Articles

• Windows 8 to be released worldwide on Friday
• Windows 8 Tablet Shipments to Exceed 75M Units by 2015
• Windows prelaunch paranoia: 17 years of gloom and doom
• 8 things you need to know about Windows 8

Death of Nokia? Little Cuts – 1,2,3…

Is Nokia’s Lumia Positioning Dangerously Casual? (Photo credit: twicepix)

Richard Lee’s earlier post provocatively took Nokia to task, questioning whether the Finland-based handset manufacturer had placed itself on a path to irrelevance with some recent business decisions, as well as its unscientfic, but no less dreaded, “lack of pizzazz”.  Recent news of some missteps by Nokia cause some people to question whether Nokia’s small errors would lead to the unfortunate scenario of “death by a thousand cuts”?

This week some misinformation on Nokia’s relationship with Microsoft led to a small crisis, but even incorrect news can have negative consequences, or can foreshadow events that might happen down the road.  A ZDNet article picked up on chatter surrounding statements Nokia CEO Stephen Elop made, which were negatively construed as a red flag for sales of the company’s newest smartphone, the Lumia.  The article underscored the misinformation that arises from taking statements out of context.  Nokia has in some ways bet their future hopes by maintaining an alliance with Microsoft and its Windows Phone platform, for better or worse.  After Microsoft’s acquisition of Skype, some interpreted that development as a bad omen for Nokia, based upon the claims that carriers would not support the Lumia (and other models) out of concerns that Skype support on Nokia devices would lead to cannibalization of the carriers’ wireless revenues.  A thorough and reasoned review of those claims would illustrate some of the faulty logic in that premise, but Nokia had suffered damage from another manufactured crisis.

However, the company endured another setback recently of its own making, when early shipments of the Lumia were found to have erratic behavior that caused the screen to have a purple hue.  While the potential financial and PR disaster of a hardware recall was avoided when the problem was revealed to be a software setting that was readily fixed with a software patch, the damage was (again) done.  See Link.  Although the hard costs of a recall appear to have been mitigated, there is now even more pressure on Nokia.  The competition of the marketplace is fierce enough, but now they must contend with a potential shareholder revolt as well.   Wired.com recently described the class-action  shareholder lawsuit as an almost pitiful example of “Kicking Nokia When It’s Down“, and the whole mess now throws yet another potential trap in Nokia’s path.

Let’s hope that the stumbles don’t lead to any permanent threats on the company’s viability.  It’s reasonable to expect that handsets become obsolete, but handset makers should not be looked upon as being so disposable.

Related Articles

• PayPal, Box, Other Apps Headed to Nokia Lumia Phones(phonescoop.com)

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• Nokia City Lens brings augmented reality to Nokia Lumia(conversations.nokia.com)

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• Nokia Shareholders Threaten Lawsuit Over Windows Phone Switch(techweekeurope.co.uk)
• Nokia Fixes Lumia 900 Purple Screen Bug (itproportal.com)

PRIOR POST 

Death of Nokia?    By Richard Lee

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post of Death of Blackberry, and it caused some stir…  While many applauded the content of the post, there were others who accused me of being brainwashed by Apple.  For the record, neither SMBmatters nor PARR is an Apple exclusive shop, nor are we sponsored by them (although we’d love to be – are you listening Tim Cook?).  Our partners possess Blackberry, Windows Mobile, iPhone and various Android-powered devices.  Our laptop / desktop choices also vary – from Dell to Toshiba to Mac (I am writing this article on Lenovo Ideapad, formerly known as IBM Thinkpad).   With that full disclosure aside, I am sure to get a few more hate mails for this post, especially from my wife’s cousin who happens to be a senior legal counsel at Nokia…   So here it goes – short and sweet.

Nokia was my first cell phone back in ‘95 when AT&T Wireless gave me the phone for free after signing a 2-year contract.  During the early days of Nokia’s North America expansion, it seems like every major wireless carrier gave away its phones with a signed contract.  The first Nokias (pictured above, 5100 series I believe, I still have it somewhere as a keepsake) did just fine with the basics – calls and texts – as it quickly captured market share.  But the same strategy that helped to establish the handset maker as #1 in the world by volume is now getting the company in little bit of hot water with the investors.

Nokia recently reported that it lost 1.2BN in Q1 with the revenue dropping 29% vis-à-vis same quarter the previous year.  As it’s about to be eclipsed by Samsung as the #1 volume producer in the world, Nokia’s CEO Stephen Elop announced that he plans to “deeply” lower prices of its new line of Lumina smart phones.

Too little, too late…   Much like Blackberry, Nokia jumped late into smart phone segments with too many models that are not just derivatives of a single model, but also lack consumer appeal….

For me, Nokia was replaced by Blackberry – and if you read my last post, my Blackberry was replaced by iPhone.  As always is the case, we welcome feedback.  Better yet, please feel free to submit an article expressing your views to rlee@parrllc.com and we are happy to post on the SMBmatters site giving full credit to you as a guest contributor.