Is it Worth Upgrading to Windows 8? Necessary?

Windows 8 – Worth taking the upgrade?

Windows 8 has been flooding the market on new computers, tablets, phones, and other mobile devices. It works on all of these different devices through the use of Windows 8 Pro, Windows RT, and Windows Phone 8. There are minor differences between the operating systems, but the general use is practically the same. So the real question is – Is it worth the upgrade?

The first thing to consider is – What does Windows 8 do that Windows 7 doesn’t already? Does it do anything that Android or iPhone OS doesn’t already do? Is it worth taking over Ice Cream Sandwich on your tablet?

The plain and simple answer is: No. Generally, you can do anything with alternative operating systems that Windows 8 can already do. Does this mean that an upgrade isn’t feasible? Certainly not. I’m just stating that for every app there is in Windows 8 (CURRENTLY) there are 5 apps on the other platforms that do the same thing, possibly with even better ease.

So what are the benefits? Cross-device use. If I have a Windows 8 Laptop, Windows 8 Desktop, Windows RT tablet, and Windows Phone 8 device, I can sync ALL of these devices with my Microsoft account, and through cloud computing, my experience will be nearly the same across each device. My wallpaper, sounds, start screen, and applications will all work on each device, and they will be automatically installed or ran through the cloud when I sync my Microsoft account to each device. I can easily create a Microsoft Word document on my laptop, throw it on my Sky Drive (Dropbox by Microsoft; All cloud file sharing), and then access the document through any of my other Windows devices in the same format.

Of course there are a few more perks to Windows 8 aside from multi-device usability. For one, the startup time is dramatically improved vs its Windows 7 brother. On my personal laptop, the bootup time for Windows 7 and Ubuntu are identical – Right around 20 seconds. My Windows 8 startup time is right around 10 seconds. These are cold boots – From completely on to fully signed in and ready to use. Windows 8 loads faster primarily because a portion of the operating system used for booting is stored in the RAM (memory) of your computer when shut down. Why this feature wasn’t integrated into previous operating systems years ago is beyond me.

The Windows application store is another small perk. While the “Metro” interface (now called the start menu) is not exactly convenient for many desktop users, there are some very handy applications in the market that make everyday tasks easier. While on a desktop, though, it is hard to multi-task because these windows take up the entire screen. Even in split-screen mode, it’s quite difficult to make a practical use out of multiple applications. The draw here is that there are many applications available for Windows 8 that aren’t available on any other platform, and they can all be used on any of your Windows devices.

Compatibility is another huge issue when it comes to choosing whether or not to upgrade to a new operating system. While there are some definite bugs and issues with some hardware not being compatible with Windows 8, it seems that most drivers, software, and hardware that was compatible with Windows 7 is fully functional with Windows 8. There are some Solid state drives, as well as some drivers and programs that are not fully functional, or may take some extra work and installation to make functional, though. I wouldn’t let compatibility be the major determining factor here.

The consensus? I think Windows 8 may be a decent upgrade if it really draws you, and you’re an entertainment user. I wouldn’t recommend it to a business user by any means, as its use for productivity is just as or more limited than any other operating system. It seems to be setup for entertainment, and cross-usability. Perhaps in a business setting where tablet and phone use is frequented, otherwise, I see this operating system as a waste of money to the average company.

For power and entertainment users with multiple devices, I think this operating system is great, yet, may have quite a few bugs to work out still. Give it a few months, and this platform should be quite stable!