Windows 8 baffling customers even before its release

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“The release of Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system is a week away, and consumers are in for a shock. Windows, used in one form or another for a generation, is getting a completely different look that will force users to learn new ways to get things done,” Peter Svensson reports for The Associated Press. “Judging by the reactions of some people who have tried the PC version, it’s a move that risks confusing and alienating customers.”

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“The question is whether the new version, which can be run on tablets and smartphones, along with the traditional PC, can satisfy the needs of both types of users,” Svensson reports. “‘I am very worried that Microsoft may be about to shoot itself in the foot spectacularly,’ said. Michael Mace, the CEO of Silicon Valley software startup Cera Technology and a former Apple employee. Windows 8 is so different, he said, that many Windows users who aren’t technophiles will feel lost, he said.”

Svensson reports, “Technology blogger Chris Pirillo posted a YouTube video of his father using a preview version of Windows 8 for the first time. As the elder Pirillo tours the operating system with no help from his son, he blunders into the old ‘Desktop’ environment and can’t figure out how to get back to the Start tiles… There’s additional potential for confusion because there’s one version of Windows 8, called “Windows RT,” that looks like the PC version but doesn’t run regular Windows programs. It’s intended for tablets and lightweight tablet-laptop hybrids.”

Read more in the full article here.