The Good

                Often overlooked are the good aspects that are delivered by Windows 8. Most reviews out there have majorly negative review of Windows 8 (and frankly for good reason), but they often lack to point out any of the good parts to the new OS.

• Faster boot times and greater overall performance.
  • Part of this is due to GPU offloading of work that was done by the CPU. In essence, your computer has multiple processors  including the GPU (Graphical processing unit). GPU’s have become quite powerful and thus it makes sense to take advantage of that power to render things that were once done by the CPU.
• Operating System enhancements
  • Ability to double click to open ISO files. In the past, a third party utility was needed to open ISO files. An ISO file is a “CD Image”, basically a CD contained in single file… a “virtual CD”.
  • Better Windows Explorer abilities.
    • Windows Explorer is what we use to view “My Computer”, or our files inside of the computer. The new Windows Explorer has a ribbon design much like Office, which provides a bunch of additional functionality. Perhaps not a bunch of additional functionality, maybe it’s better to say “easier to access” functionality.
  • Improved Task Manager
    • A critical tool for techies, and what should be a useful took to non-techies alike, the task manager can show you everything that’s happening in your computer.
    • Cleaner layout to better represent the more powerful multi-computer processing abilities.
    • Startup Manager – allows you to easily disable things from startup. It even tells you the impact of the process on startup. This can allow people to more easily optimize their computer’s performance over the years of usage.
  • Refresh and Reset
    • These two tools allow you to restore a computer to its factory state or a fresh state (without your programs but with your files) in a few easy clicks. This can help if you’ve caught a virus or corruption from updates.
  • Improved Multi-Monitor control
    • Trust me – multi-monitors are awesome and not expensive or super-NASA-like as they once were. I couldn’t work without them anymore. In recognition of this, Windows 8 has better multi-monitor support.
    • Support for task bar across multiple monitors.
• Strong Cloud-Tied presence
  • Windows 8 has been designed in the age of “high-speed” internet. In recognition of this, many “cloud based” (internet-based) features are supported in windows 8.
  • Synchronization of files and settings.
    • Your windows 8 login can be tied to Microsoft’s servers. By doing this your login password is the same as your Microsoft account password (such as Hotmail, outlook, MSN etc.). If you log into your Windows 8 tablet, or another computer, the files and settings can be loaded automatically onto that machine as well. Change your password on one device, and it’s changed on all of them.
  • Sky Drive: Microsoft’s response to Google Drive and DropBox. It’s the same in concept as DropBox, except more integrated into the OS. You can save your files directly to your “sky-drive” which stays synchronized across all your Windows 8, SkyDrive enabled devices. So if you put a picture of cousin “IT” into your sky drive, it will be on your tablet and phone automatically.
  • Microsoft Store: Microsoft’s response to Google’s Play Store and Apples App Store. This is particularly nice because so, so very often I will ask customers for a CD which they no longer have. I then have to explain to them there is no way to reload the software without their CD and/or product key. With the Microsoft Store, things purchased through this route can be saved online, in the “cloud.” If you need to reload Microsoft Office – no problem! Your product key and office are both hanging around in the Office Store for whenever you need them. Lost CD’s are no longer a problem (so long as you purchased the item from the Microsoft Store).
  • Music and movies purchased can also be stored on your sky drives.
• Clean modern looking interface.
  • The new Windows 8 Interface is sleek, clean and uncluttered. It looks nice.
  • Live tiles on the start screen update you constantly. Facebook, twitter, email and weather information is always there on your start screen. You can get a glimpse of things without clicking or opening the apps.
• Universal Ecosystem.
  • As mentioned before, Microsoft is trying to create their own “ecosystem.” This is necessary to compete (or catch up) with Apple and Google. If successful, a complete robust ecosystem can integrate and tie things together in a very nice fashion.
  • Less compatibility issues within an ecosystem. Things play together much better when comparing Apples to Apples, or Microsofts to Microsofts. Apple T.V. works nice with iTunes and the XBOX works nicely with a Windows PC. (Of course this doesn’t bode well for competition if you are committed to an Ecosystem, something I never liked about Apple's strategy).