Comments on: Why Microsoft’s Metro UI could slowly kill Android

By: James Keith Clarence Carter

James Keith Clarence Carter — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 22:03:59 +0000

Besides doubling the time you have to look at an ugly, boring UI, what can this integration(phone and pc) really offer? I don’t really see what you can’t do already between Android and Windows. Also I really do not see 90% using Metro, especially from a business perspective.

By: Denbo

Denbo — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 16:48:39 +0000

Is everyone drunk? The Metro interface is horrible. It destroys productivity.

Tell me has the Metro interface of Windows phone destroy Android? Give me a break.

By: altairguerilla

altairguerilla — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:36:29 +0000

Well said… The cloud and web integration is the most essential…However we can’t ask Kevin to give us a 30 page research article ;)

By: altairguerilla

altairguerilla — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:34:31 +0000

Why isn’t anyone focusing on cloud based OS/apps which might be “the thing” a decade from now? With that said, we can expect doing all our day-to-day tasks inside a browser or a cloud based UI. For powerful computing needs like design etc., the world might still stick with Windows/Linux/OSx. The best cloud based complete platform available currently for any desktop OS is Google Chrome Browser. The number of apps with chrome browser is already overwhelming.

By: Mohan

Mohan — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:23:06 +0000

What makes the author think that 5 yrs from now all UI interfaces going to be flat surfaced touch screen. 10yrs back who would have though about the adoption of touch screen. The truth is we will never who is the last two OS standing. It only depends on how desperate and resource full these companies are. Who ever blinks first will loose, simple as that.

By: guest

guest — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:03:49 +0000

Unity UI in Ubuntu anyone?

By: Terrence Martineau

Terrence Martineau — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 19:59:50 +0000

@John Molloy… sure the way the OS is evolving.. but this really new or just a new way to do something that you could do before and can still do.. swipe gesture is just another way of just doing cmd + tab to switch between apps.. gestures like short cut for key combinations..

but again, you have a pointer driven interface (whether you are using mouse+keyboard or keyboard+trackpad) with large screens on traditional computer or a finger driven touch-screen interface.. two different requirements and use cases.. two different UI.. thats why they are and should be different..

MS is trying way too hard trying to put a square peg in a round hole and have put together a schizophrenic, try to please everyone, but end up disappointing everyone solution.. by trying to shove these two interfaces together in a single solution for desktop and tablet.. has more to do with strategic solution rather than a solution for users..

By: Terrence Martineau

Terrence Martineau — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 19:46:05 +0000

A) it’s not free… all the major Android partners pay licensing fees to Microsoft for every device the ship with android
B) Ask Apple.. the are completely kicking Android butt in the tablet space.. so far android has been a failure in tablets.. you compete with free with better.. you make a more simple, more seamless, better UX for users out of the box and you can compete with free
C) you make it more free and better UX… jus ask Amazon.. you completely remove all the complex unessary crap that Google put in there and you go from 0 to 54% android marketshare in a few months..

By: Terrence Martineau

Terrence Martineau — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 19:36:09 +0000

i think you may be more confused than i though… i think you have this reversed… iOS and OS X actually are the same kernel are basically the same OS under the hood with different skins (GUI) and apps.. the kernel for both is the same.. it’s the GUI that is different..

none of what you mentioned changes the fact that the desktop paradimn is not going away on Apple’s traditional computers (keyboard, mouse… even with external touchpad).. in fact that is the primary GUI paradigm.. with much larger screens allows for interaction just not ideal on smaller screens.. a windowed interface makes all kinds of sense on larger screened devices.. on an iPad with a user interface where you are directly interacting with GUI element right under your finger vs. one where you are using a touchpad to interact with GUI elements on a screen requires a different type of GUI to be optimized… e.g. the former requires a pointer.. can take advantage of things like pointer rollover etc… thing that make no sence or don’t/can’t exist on an iOS type interface … do you not see that they are two different interactions with different requirements for UI elements and user interaction.. it makes no logical sense that these two interfaces converge.. they are not converging except in superficial ways.. Tim Cook just went on record saying that it’s not what they are doing.. how delusional and blind really does one have to be to insist something is happening when anyone with eyes to see can see it isn’t.. when the CEO of the company plainly says we are not doing this and ridicules the competition for doing this?

Tim Cook on Windows 8 when asked about iOS and OS X converging…
“Anything can be forced to converge. Trade offs at end of the day don’t please anyone. You can converge a toaster and a refrigerator, but won’t please anyone.”

what you think is happening is not happening… because it’s dumb idea and Apple is smarter than that..

By: Sofia Fenichell

Sofia Fenichell — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 16:54:14 +0000

I agree with Ryan. I think we need to be careful re making linear extrapolations from windows to windows8. The comparison is ios to win8 and here the consumer has learned to navigate intuitively. Tiles vs icons are purely a graphic design choice.