KEY FEATURES:
1.
Faster startup. On my tests comparing Windows 8 performance with that of Windows 7 on the same computer,
Windows 8 started up more than twice as fast as Windows 7. In a comparison with
Mac OS X Mountain Lion, running in Boot Camp on a MacBook, Windows 8 even
started up faster than Apple's latest desktop operating system. And it's not
just startup time: Windows 8 ran several benchmark performance tests quicker
than either Windows 7 or Mountain Lion. Microsoft has clearly put work into
improving performance in Windows 8.
2. A
whole new world of apps. Windows
8 gives PC users a whole new world of full-screen, touch-friendly,
Web-connected apps to explore. And these new apps can even display relevant
information on their Windows Start screen tiles, something impossible in
Windows 7 or just about any other operating system around, save Windows Phone.
The new Windows Store—analogous to Apple's iTunes App Store—makes discovering
and installing these new-style apps a breeze. The update process is simple, and
you can install purchased apps on multiple Windows 8 devices without paying
again, provided you're signed in. Finally, uninstalling the apps is streamlined
by the Store, with no Registry complications as in past Windows versions' apps.
3.
SkyDrive integration. Microsoft's cloud
service has become way, way more than just online storage. Sure, it still lets
you save and access files to an online space that's accessible from a Web
browser or apps that run on not only Windows, but also Mac OS X, iOS, Android,
and Windows Phone. But with Windows 8, SkyDrive is accessible to any app that
wants to use it, just as though it were a local drive. It also backs up your
PC's settings, letting you replicate your environment should you get a new PC.
4.
Better Security, Less-intrusive updates. PC Magazine networking and security analyst Fahmida
Rashid considers Windows 8 "the most secure version
of Windows yet." This stems from a couple of things, starting with Secure
Boot. ExtremeTech's Sebastian Anthony explains secure bootsuccinctly as follows: "Windows 8 stops a
computer from loading an operating system that hasn’t been signed by the
publisher (in this case, Microsoft or an OEM)." Another security gain is
that all apps in the Windows Store are scrutinized for security issues.
Finally, Windows 8's default Web browser, Internet Explorer 10, was rated best
in a recent test by NSS Labs, detecting and blocking over 99 percent of malicious
downloads without any help from a third-party
antivirus program. This compared with 70.4 percent for Google Chrome, which
uses the same Safe Browsing API as Firefox. Opera and Safari only managed to
block about 4 percent of the malicious downloads.
5.
First-class touch input, but still fine with keyboard and mouse. In some ways, touch-screen input on Windows 8 is
superior that of the Apple iPad. For example, you can do everything you need to
by swiping with your thumbs, making a tablet easier to use by holding it by the
sides. Also topping the iPad interface is Windows 8's ability to snap a sidebar
to the side of the screen with a touch gesture, so that you can keep tabs on
two apps at the same time.
But
mouse and keyboard are hardly forgotten. The full complement of keyboard
shortcuts still works, and navigating through the new interface with the mouse
and mouse wheel is almost as intuitive as touch gesture input—though there are
certainly some actions where touch is a better fit. Using the Windows Key
becomes particularly important, as it summons the Start screen and offers key
combinations that let you search, share, change settings, access devices, and
more.
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