Displaying items by tag: ModernUI

Two years ago at the time of the first public demonstration of Windows 8, Microsoft filed documentation for patenting appearance and functionality of the Start screen of the OS. The US Patent Office finally approved the request this week.

So there are more rumors about the next update to Windows. You know the one that is getting called Windows 8.1, Windows 8.1 Update 1 or even Windows 8.1 Service Pack 1. Oh yeah and it is also the one that Microsoft will not even admit to working on. Well it seems that the latest one brings us back to the debate about the ModernUI and the start screen.

If you have been on the internet then you have heard about the possibility of Microsoft releasing a new “fix” to Windows in the form of Window 8.2 This new release is supposed to be an extension of their work to revamp Windows 8 into something that consumers will actually want. Now, most people will acknowledge that Microsoft needs to make a large number of changes to Windows 8 to make it more palatable (and usable), but are they really working on an 8.2 release when they just pushed out 8.1?

Even though Mozilla quite early announced the availability of their Firefox browser, published for the Modern UI on Windows 8, looks like some problems got in the way. Although the original development should be completed this year, as it now seems, however, finalized version will not appear until next year.

At the Windows Build conference Microsoft is all about pushing Window 8.1. This is the new release of Windows that Microsoft hope will capture the consumer imagination enough to finally bring sales back up. The question is (and always has been) has Microsoft really made any significant changes to the OS in areas that matter? We are talking about an OS that is just now (after almost a year) pushing past Windows Vista. Vista was almost as hated as the failed Windows ME which was another of Microsoft’s attempts to change the way they did things. Can Windows 8.1 really impact consumer perception of the OS? Sure there are some things to like, but it is unlikely that these changes will have a major impact.

Microsoft has unveiled two new wireless mouses adapted to users of Windows 8. They are larger model Sculpt Comfort Mouse and smaller Sculpt Mobile Mouse, both of which are intended for less demanding users and generally only have the basic controls and standard functionalities.