I can see clearly now the rain has gone – as far as Microsoft goes anyway. That’s right Windows 8 is good, no bones about it. Microsoft have finally, after the turbulence of Windows Vista and Windows 7, delivered a smooth, refined operating system sure to put past troubles at least a little bit behind them.

They have really cleaned up a lot of the bugs to the point where it is almost squeaky clean. They have moved on from previous clunky manifestations and now have got something more user-friendly and slick. After some tweaks that have made it more adaptable to touch screen technology, it has been adapted to work on tablets as well.

Real thought has been spent on working out how to revamp previous failing Microsoft technologies. In particular, the earlier Modern UI-style apps, including Mail, Calendar, and Messaging have been given a face-lift. Not the kind given to Cher, but the real deal type that turn an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan. To be fair, the transformation is not quite such a fairytale as there is some way still to go, but it is a big improvement and one that is reflected across the whole of the operating system. A whole load of Microsoft’s apps have become more functional and engaging.

Image courtesy of: tech4globe.com

Power Play

In fact, the software giant seems to be on a roll with a recent update to the above apps doing a solid job of fine-tuning. As well as that, there’s an uber 170MB Windows 8 update to boost performance, battery life and power management. All this is going down a treat.

Moving away from design for a moment, the fundamentals of Windows 8 have seen a substantial enhancement. It is faster, longer lasting and safer. Speed improved on old and new PCs alike. This has been achieved while still significantly improving battery life. Importantly, it also has better security.

Money matters

Price-wise, the word on the street is that it is going to be a touch more expensive than previous operating systems with the basic package earmarked at around £100. If so, it is a price worth paying. In any case upgrading from existing operating systems looks to be fairly economical, no matter what existing operating system you have.

Most modern computers will be able to run Windows 8. You just need a 1GHz or faster CPU, a mere 1GB of RAM (or 2GB for 64-bit systems), 20GB of hard drive space and a DirectX 9 graphics card with WDDM driver.

Apps that Matter

Faster start up. The first log-in will require you to log-in the Microsoft ID, which can be created while setting up the Windows 8 OS. This account will allow you to automatically back up of personal files by means of SkyDrive as well as synchronize the settings to all W8 devices.

Picture Password feature for password protection measures is also a great substitute to the commonly used 4-digit pin. You can use any chosen picture and create unlimited number of tap and trace gestures. Just be sure to remember your current saved gesture to avoid accidental lockout to your device.

Finally, the Security Boot is designed to avoid unwanted auto-loading software during start-up and Windows Defender to maximize protection against malicious wares and other online threats.

Windows 8 has made a great load of improvements since the release of its mock-up version.  It’s safe to say that W8 certainly surpassed its predecessor. This is another great product from Microsoft and truly deserves two-thumbs up!