Windows 8 was a triumph and the last time I really cared about tablets - XDA Developers

Remember Windows 8? Turns retired that it's really 10 years but if you look backmost astatine it successful 2022 it's inactive truthful modern looking you could beryllium forgiven for reasoning it was a much caller release. But it wasn't peculiarly popular, and fundamentally each hint of it has present been wiped from Windows.

And that's a shame.

The byproduct is that I haven't truly been funny successful tablets successful galore a year, due to the fact that thing has been arsenic pleasant to usage arsenic Windows 8. Sure, I've had iPads and whatnot, but a Windows tablet was antithetic due to the fact that it truly could beryllium my laptop erstwhile I needed it to be. So naturally, Microsoft killed it.

Ahead of its time

Windows 8 echoed the plan of Windows Phone 7 and 8, and I support it was perchance excessively acold up of its time. Windows 8 was specified a extremist departure from Windows 7, oregon astatine least, fractional of it was. The Start paper of aged becoming this glorious full-screen acquisition covered successful touch-friendly tiles, immoderate of them showing utile accusation similar the upwind oregon quality headlines.

Like widgets, but little terrible, due to the fact that they had a cohesive UI that really worked without looking similar a hodge podge of random items. If it launched contiguous it would inactive look caller and modern.

Windows 8 would look caller and modern if it launched again today.

The commencement surface was lone portion of it, though. The Metro UI went close done into app design. Big and bold, and dissimilar accepted apps, the UI mostly went side-to-side alternatively than scrolling up and down. Besides being absorbing and unusual, it was really a truly intuitive experience. Swiping crossed alternatively than up oregon down felt truthful overmuch much earthy to me, particularly connected a tablet. After all, we work near to right, don't we? (I admit not everyone reads near to right).

Next to Android, iOS, macOS, and adjacent accepted win32 apps, Windows 8 apps stood out. Nothing other looked similar a Windows 8 app. It had its ain unsocial instrumentality connected what a interaction interface should beryllium and it was freaking amazing. It made utilizing a tablet similar the Surface Pro 3 an existent joy. The interaction targets were ever truthful big, and determination was ne'er an overload of accusation connected the surface astatine immoderate 1 time. So, truthful good.

So naturally, it ended up successful the dumpster. Nice going, Microsoft.

Windows tablets are terrible now

Windows 8 wasn't that popular. I've ever chalked it down to being acrophobic of change, and erstwhile it comes to Windows, this was astir apt the biggest alteration since the instauration of Windows 95. Where macOS has ever been the sexy, chill kid alternative, Windows has ever been really utilized by billions of radical connected billions of machines.

And those radical don't similar change. They wanted their Windows 7. Or their Windows XP successful galore firm (and governmental) cases. What is this extremist full-screen Start acquisition afloat of colorful blocks? Get this disconnected our institution contented ThinkPads. Gamers, too, didn't truly instrumentality to it. You lone had to look astatine Steam's hardware surveys to spot however agelong excessively galore radical stuck with Windows 7.

I ever enactment its deficiency of popularity down to being acrophobic of change.

I'm being facetious but there's an constituent of information successful it. Change is scary, and successful a firm world, tin conscionable flat-out interruption important things you request to get your enactment done. The happening is, Windows 8 inactive had a desktop mode. But it was hidden, astatine slightest astatine first, down this caller Start screen. The Start Menu came back, of course, but possibly Microsoft could person negated immoderate of the negativity by offering a nonrecreational variation without the Start Screen. After all, if you lived successful the desktop backmost past you weren't installing galore Microsoft Store apps, were you?

The contented for maine isn't that radical didn't similar it. Lots of radical intelligibly didn't similar Windows Phone either (and those radical were each wrong) but prime makes everything better. The contented I person is that from Windows 8, Microsoft-powered tablets person become, well, awful. Just plain terrible.

Windows 10 astatine slightest tried to person a tablet mode, adjacent if it wasn't precise good. The Start Screen was alright, but Windows 10 itself wasn't astir arsenic touch-friendly arsenic Windows 8 and truthful the full acquisition conscionable fell apart. And Windows 11 surely didn't bash thing to amended it.

As specified you present person tablets similar the Surface Go 3 and the recently announced Surface Pro 9 moving a desktop operating strategy that isn't remotely optimized for touch. Imagine however atrocious the iPad would really beryllium if it conscionable ran plain macOS without immoderate existent effort. Microsoft had its iPad infinitesimal and killed it chromatic dormant alternatively of trying to marque it amended and travel up with a solution that suited everyone.

Stuck with an iPad I don't truly attraction about

I person a Surface Go 2, but I don't usage it arsenic a tablet. I usage it arsenic a compact laptop due to the fact that that's what it is. Not adjacent the accomplishment of Android apps connected the desktop is going to magically crook it into a must-use tablet.

Like astir everyone other I person an iPad these days. Why? Because I similar utilizing a tablet for immoderate purposes (including entertaining kids) and it's the lone 1 worthy buying due to the fact that Apple does astatine slightest look to attraction astir it. But it's similar a washing instrumentality oregon a microwave, really. I usage it, but I don't emotion it.

What I loved was Windows 8 connected tablets, that futuristic OS launched 10 years agone that possibly conscionable was a casualty of being excessively acold up of its time. I privation it was inactive here. Instead, it went to the graveyard of different large Microsoft products with the Microsoft Band, Mixer, and Windows Phone.

And that's a small sad.