Much has been written about Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system, which will be available this Friday. Although the spotlight has been on its new Metro-style user interface (UI), let's not forget that many consumers probably aren't rushing out to buy a new PC bundled with Windows 8.
For those on older (and most likely non-touchscreen) hardware, or others who don't intend to touch Metro apps with a ten-foot pole, is it still worth upgrading to Microsoft's latest OS? Here are five reasons why we think you should.
Windows 8 is relatively cheap
Perhaps the inexpensive Mac OS X upgrades--Mountain Lion was priced at
just US$20--set a benchmark, but the price of upgrading to Windows 8 has
never been lower at US$39.99 for the digital copy (the retail DVD,
however, is US$69.99). This offer is valid till the end of January 2013.
Consumers who purchase a new Windows 7 computer between now and January 31, 2013 can get the upgrade at an even lower price: US$14.99.In comparison, the Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade costs US$50, but that was only if you had preordered. The original price was US$119.99 for the retail DVD.
Windows 8 is faster
Microsoft talked about the fast boot times in Windows 8, and from our own experiences, it has delivered the goods. Windows 8 can be really quick during boot up, while shutting down is practically greased lightning, especially when paired with the SSDs found on Ultrabooks. During our test of the Toshiba Satellite U920t, this Windows 8 convertible started up almost twice as fast as our best-performing Windows 7 Ultrabook.
Even with a normal HDD, you'll notice a significant improvement. CNET has published some benchmarks about Windows 8 performance compared with Windows 7, concluding that "Windows 8 lives up to its promise". Beside faster boot up and shut down speeds, Windows 8 produced better performance in Microsoft Office and also took less time to complete a multimedia test.
Reset & Refresh:
Windows 8 has improved and simplified this process. First, it has a feature known as "Reset your PC", which basically puts the software back into its original state i.e. after you first installed Windows 8 (or after you purchase a new PC). It's similar to the factory reset feature you'll find on smartphones and tablets--all your settings are erased and a fresh copy of Windows 8 is installed. According to Microsoft, a similar process (restoring from an image) would have taken close to 30 minutes in Windows 7, but this should take around 6 minutes in Windows 8.
This feature also has a more thorough cleansing, which includes overwriting the contents of the hard drive with random data before reinstalling. This is for users who have more confidental data on their computers, though it will also take longer.
The other new feature, "Refresh your PC", keeps all your personal data and settings intact. Metro-style apps that you download from the Windows Store will also be retained, though full-fledged desktop apps are removed. However, a list of these desktop apps will be generated, so that you can reinstall them if you like. In short, it's a convenient way to get your PC back into shape without having to redo all your settings or backing up your data to another drive.
File History:
In Windows 8, the backup tool is File History, and it works differently enough from previous Windows that you may just use it. This feature isn't enabled by default--users will have to turn it on (and attach an external HDD or network drive) to start using it. File History will then save copies of the files residing in your libraries, which include My Documents, My Music, My Pictures, etc. It will also save data from your contacts, favorites and other items on your Desktop. You can also specify other folders which you wish to backup.
File History is configured to check your files every hour for changes, and it will save them to the external location. It means that users can browse the history of their files (hence the name) and restore the versions that they need. This feature is integrated within the new File Explorer (formerly Windows Explorer) so that you can search for files and view their history in the same window. Restoring an older version of the file is as simple as choosing it.
The best thing about File History is that there's no need to schedule a backup, like those annoying antivirus scans. The process should happen in the background with minimal disruption. Power users can also configure the tool with more advanced settings such as changing how often files are saved.
Storage Spaces
Setting up a RAID configuration on a computer may be beyond the typical Windows user. Windows 8, however, includes a pretty cool Storage Spaces feature that adds a layer of redundancy to the internal (or external) storage on your computer without requiring any PC technical knowledge.
As its name suggest, Storage Spaces creates a pool of storage that can consist of one or more storage devices. Instead of having multiple internal HDDs with their own drive letters that you easily lose track of, users will just see a unified storage pool with a single drive letter. At any time, you can add more storage drives to this pool (and they can be any mix of internal or external drives of various capacities). You can even allocate more storage space than what's on your PC, and add the physical drive later when it's required.
The redundancy angle is only applicable if you have two or more physical drives. Storage Spaces is able to mirror your data on multiple drives (ideally both drives should have the same capacity)--you will only get half of the combined storage capacity, but your files will be safe if one of the drives fail.
Like File History, the strength of this feature is that users really need to configure it just once (or when they add more drives), and it should work with little user intervention. With all your files in one location (albeit virtual space), you don't have to remember exactly where your stuff is on a physical drive. They are all in Storage Spaces.
Conclusion:
While we have covered some of the new features and improvements on Windows 8 that don't really require the Metro-style interface or a touch-capable computer, there are benefits from embracing the change, such as the ability to sync all your settings and contacts on multiple PCs using a Microsoft account. So even if you're unsure about Windows 8, try it out and come to your own conclusion.
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For more Windows 8 news and developments, check out our Windows 8 resource page.
