Windows 8 UI Fragmentation
Microsoft is trying to shoehorn Windows 8 into every type of computing device. The video released yesterday shows the new UI…err rather UI shell for touch capable devices. Shortly thereafter, John Gruber posted why he thinks it is fundamentally flawed. I agree.
Windows 8 is going to be a fragmented experience across all these devices. On tablets people will mainly use the touch UI, on business desktops (if they ever upgrade) they will turn off the touch UI and just use the traditional UI, on home PCs people will probably switch to what they are familiar with. This causes a lot of problems – for everyone.
Microsoft only has to develop one OS, but that OS has two interfaces? Are most things going to be in the touch UI? Do I have to switch out of the touch UI and go to control panel for more advanced settings? What is the development priority of those interfaces now? Will Office move to touch enabled UIs? How will all the app switching and gestures work with those who have just a keyboard and mouse? The complexity goes on and on.
Developers now have another type of Program (what Microsoft calls Applications) to develop for. Well, if the touch UI is only used on tablets then what is the market for that? Are touch UI programs more like widgets or full blown Programs? Will Excel gain a touch based UI like IE? Which program type do I develop for if they both coexist? Do I have one app that has a touch UI and a classic UI with more features?
Users now decide which UI to use. If I’m on a desktop or a laptop I’m going to guess that the touch UI will be cool to play with but will get really old fast. People will eventually move back to the UI they are familiar with - because it is still an option. Tablet (Slate?) users will be more keen on the touch UI because they don’t have a keyboard and mouse and the classic UI is hard to use with just a finger (which is why Microsoft created a touch UI). But they only get touch programs which are HTML and Javascript - underpowered and less features than their classic counterparts. Touch users end up with a more widget-like experience – which is frustrating.
So this whole one OS for all devices seems to me to be a terrible idea. I’m pretty sure it came directly from Balmer. It sounds good to a sales guy like Balmer but in practice it only causes more confusion and fragmentation for everyone involved.
You can’t have your cake and eat it too. I thought we’ve all learned that lesson. I guess Microsoft still has that lesson to check off on their feature list.
