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In the early 2010s, some of the most influential minds at Microsoft came to a stark conclusion: Windows had run its course.
At that time, the current version of the operating system was Windows 7, which was generally appreciated by the public. With it, Microsoft maintained its lead in the world of desktops. But the landscape in the technology market seemed to point towards mobile as the direction where everything would go.
According to Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows division between 2009 and 2012, there was an impression that the “next billion” was in the universe of mobile devices. It was a time when tablets and smartphones were starting to gain the public, and sales of personal computers were falling. How does an operating system aimed at PCs adapt to this new context?
Microsoft’s answer was a version of Windows that could talk to both sides: desktops and mobile. This is the reasoning behind the Windows 8so different from its predecessors, and looking more like it belongs on a tablet than a computer.
In 2022, Windows 8 celebrated its 10th anniversary. In an interview with Ars Technica on the occasion of the date, Steven Sinofsky describes the product as “too much and too soon” – too much, too soon. Public response, however, seems to agree only with the first part. Windows 8 was, in fact, too much to take in.
Never before in the history of Windows
Windows 8 is mainly remembered for its visual changes, brought about by the interface Subway, already present in Windows Phone. The so-called live tiles, squares of content that could be moved, took care of everything; the windows also gave way to programs that opened in full screen.
The experience was almost nothing like Windows 7, the previous version of the system, on which Sinofsky himself had worked. In fact, it didn’t resemble any of the previous Windows. It’s not surprising, therefore, that user reactions have been one of surprise. and not the type Good by surprise.
The execution of this computer OS with the appearance of a tablet OS was not the most consistent. Windows 8 retained some elements from other versions to maintain some familiarity. The result was somewhat confusing. For example: a new, modern Settings app was introduced… but the Control Panel with the old UI still existed.
Not even the Start menu, one of the most distinctive elements of the system and present since Windows 95, was spared. The Start Screen entered the scene, taking up all the screen space. The move is representative of the whole spirit of Windows 8: trying to be something totally different from what Windows had been before.
The Windows 8 interface could be interesting for touch devices, but it frustrated desktop users. The specialized press also did not like the product. And to top it off, PC sales continued to drop. Not even the return of the Start button, which occurred in version 8.1, was able to reverse the damage.
Right idea, wrong execution
Sinofsky and the rest of Windows’ thinkers weren’t entirely wrong when they envisioned a mobile-dominated future. Just think of the centrality of smartphones these days. There is a big gap, however, between spotting a trend and knowing how to respond to it.
The core problem with Windows 8 resided in the notion that the mobile and desktop experience need to be close. Of course, it is legitimate to have similarities in some points, but they are different platforms, different uses.
At the Tecnocast 270, our reporter Emerson Alecrim remembers a detail that clearly shows this distinction: the off button. Turning off the computer is part of the experience of using it. With cell phones and tablets, however, this is not usually the case: the tendency is to put the device to charge when the battery reaches a low level.
Windows 8 still allowed you to shut down your computer, of course, but the button to do so was more hidden. It was necessary to create a shortcut to have it in sight. With this, Microsoft was trying to create behavior that didn’t align with the PC experience. An error, obviously.
“That’s why they failed,” succinctly explains the first commentary of Steven Sinofsky’s interview with Ars Technica🇧🇷 “Nobody wants their PC experience to be the same as their smartphone experience. The Windows 8 GUI worked well on a tablet or smartphone. It sucked for a PC operating system.”
With all the backlash, one would think that Sinofsky would have rethought his decisions ahead of Windows. The interview shows that this is not the case. For him, despite some problems, the steps taken by Microsoft made sense. You’ll just have a hard time finding anyone other than him who shares that opinion.
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