Microsoft Corp is bringing back the Windows "start" button, offering a stripped-down version among a slew of improvements aimed at winning over tablet users and placating PC customers alienated by Windows 8.
The world's largest software company is looking to re-energize sales of its latest Windows version, which has not made the splash with computer users it was hoping for. Executives say the plan is now to update Windows periodically, rather than waiting three years or so between big releases.
Although Microsoft has sold more than 100 million Windows 8 licenses since October, broadly in line with Windows 7 three years ago, the company must tackle a dwindling PC user base and its inability to make a mark in the exploding tablet market.
Shipments of traditional PCs - the most reliable gauge of Windows' popularity - are expected to fall almost 8 percent this year, while Microsoft's Surface has taken less than 2 percent of the tablet market.
Windows 8 was designed to be used both on touch-screen tablets and traditional PCs. But while touch-screen users tend to like the new "tile"-based interface, many mouse and keyboard users complained that the new design was confusing.
Confirming speculation, Microsoft said the Windows 8.1 update will have a button in the bottom left corner of the screen that acts like the "start" button in previous versions of Windows. Although it will not be labeled "start", it features the Windows logo and takes the user straight to a grid of applications.
"The work you are seeing us do here is continuing to advance the modern (interface), while really taking into account some of the things we've learned from people who still want to use the desktop, to make the transition easier," Antoine Leblond, corporate vice president of the Windows unit, said in an advance briefing on the Windows 8.1 update last week.
Microsoft is only making features of the new software public on Thursday.
FREE UPDATE
Windows 8.1, previously known by the code name "Blue", will be available for free to all Windows 8 users some time later this year. Microsoft will make a test version available at its annual developer conference on June 26.
Windows 8.1 also includes a vastly improved "search" function, which allows a user to search for documents, apps, or items on the Internet from a single search bar, like a souped-up version of Apple Inc's Spotlight feature.
It also allows users to see all their applications immediately in a grid by swiping down or pressing a button on-screen, which should make it easy for unfamiliar users to get to the app they want quickly.
Users can also customize the start screen much more easily, changing sizes of app icon "tiles" or controlling which apps appear. For the first time, it will be possible to open two windows simultaneously in the new-look interface.
Windows 8.1 includes Microsoft's latest browser, Internet Explorer 11, and lets the user restore the address bar and tabs to the screen view. That feature was missing in the initial version of Windows 8, which was designed to make the most of limited screen space on a tablet but tended to disorient traditional mouse and keyboard users.
Users will also no longer have to switch to the old desktop view to make changes in their default settings.
But they will still have to switch back to a traditional desktop set-up to use some programs such as Word or Excel, which have not been redesigned to function in the new Windows 8 style.
2013年5月30日星期四
Microsoft Windows 8.1 Features Detailed: Start Button Revival and App Improvements Coming
The Start button is getting a fresh start.
Microsoft has revealed some of the changes coming to Windows 8.1 and, as expected, it has resurrected the Start button in the left-hand corner of the operating system to make it easier for users who choose to use a mouse and keyboard.
The button was removed in Windows 8, the touchscreen-centric software that was released on laptops, desktops and tablets in October.
But that's just one of many new additions Microsoft plans to add to Windows 8.1, which will be out later this year as a free upgrade for Windows 8 users.
Start Screen and App Improvements
The operating system is still centered around the Start Screen, which is full of tiles or apps. In Windows 8.1, however, there are new tile sizes and it is easier to move around the blocks. You press and hold the tiles now, similar to how you can rearrange apps in Android.
There are other small changes, too. For instance, when you download a new app, it won't automatically be added to your Start Screen now, it will be put in a new app view.
Microsoft has also improved its own apps. The new global search function will now search Bing and the Music and Photos apps have been redesigned. It's also easier to use two apps at once now. You can still put two apps side by side with Snap, but you can change the sizes of the windows and now you can run three apps side by side.
The biggest app improvement though might be Internet Explorer 11. The new browser has speed and touchscreen improvements. Additionally, instead of having to swipe down from the top of the screen to make the address bar or tabs appear, you can set them to be always-visble. Those tabs will also sync across Windows 8.1 computers and tablets.
While Microsoft has heard the call for some simpler navigation around the operating system, it also added some fun features. In Windows 8.1, you will be able to add a slideshow of photos to the lock screen. There are also more colors and backgrounds for the Start Screen, including animated graphics.
Beyond Touch
Microsoft CFO and CMO of Windows Tami Reller told ABC News last month that one of the major pieces of feedback about Windows 8 had to do with non-touchscreen computers.
"We've focused on a number of improvements to ensure easier navigation for people using a mouse and keyboard," Antoine Leblond, corporate vice president of Windows Program Management, said in a blog post. "We've improved the way you navigate to Start with the mouse by changing the Start 'tip' to be the familiar Windows logo."
Clicking on the Start tip in the lower left-hand corner will bring you back to the Start Screen. No, you won't get the traditional Start menu. Microsoft will announce other Windows 8.1 features in the next few months, Leblond said in the post. The company has acknowledged that while 100 million Windows 8 licenses have been sold since the release in late October, users have complained about the big changes.
"We've learned a lot from customers in how they are using the product and have received a lot of feedback," Leblond said. "We've been watching, we've been listening.
"Windows 8.1 will continue to build on what you love bringing the latest advancements in hardware, apps, cloud services and the OS to enable a unique experience in everything you do."
Microsoft has revealed some of the changes coming to Windows 8.1 and, as expected, it has resurrected the Start button in the left-hand corner of the operating system to make it easier for users who choose to use a mouse and keyboard.
The button was removed in Windows 8, the touchscreen-centric software that was released on laptops, desktops and tablets in October.
But that's just one of many new additions Microsoft plans to add to Windows 8.1, which will be out later this year as a free upgrade for Windows 8 users.
Start Screen and App Improvements
The operating system is still centered around the Start Screen, which is full of tiles or apps. In Windows 8.1, however, there are new tile sizes and it is easier to move around the blocks. You press and hold the tiles now, similar to how you can rearrange apps in Android.
There are other small changes, too. For instance, when you download a new app, it won't automatically be added to your Start Screen now, it will be put in a new app view.
Microsoft has also improved its own apps. The new global search function will now search Bing and the Music and Photos apps have been redesigned. It's also easier to use two apps at once now. You can still put two apps side by side with Snap, but you can change the sizes of the windows and now you can run three apps side by side.
The biggest app improvement though might be Internet Explorer 11. The new browser has speed and touchscreen improvements. Additionally, instead of having to swipe down from the top of the screen to make the address bar or tabs appear, you can set them to be always-visble. Those tabs will also sync across Windows 8.1 computers and tablets.
While Microsoft has heard the call for some simpler navigation around the operating system, it also added some fun features. In Windows 8.1, you will be able to add a slideshow of photos to the lock screen. There are also more colors and backgrounds for the Start Screen, including animated graphics.
Beyond Touch
Microsoft CFO and CMO of Windows Tami Reller told ABC News last month that one of the major pieces of feedback about Windows 8 had to do with non-touchscreen computers.
"We've focused on a number of improvements to ensure easier navigation for people using a mouse and keyboard," Antoine Leblond, corporate vice president of Windows Program Management, said in a blog post. "We've improved the way you navigate to Start with the mouse by changing the Start 'tip' to be the familiar Windows logo."
Clicking on the Start tip in the lower left-hand corner will bring you back to the Start Screen. No, you won't get the traditional Start menu. Microsoft will announce other Windows 8.1 features in the next few months, Leblond said in the post. The company has acknowledged that while 100 million Windows 8 licenses have been sold since the release in late October, users have complained about the big changes.
"We've learned a lot from customers in how they are using the product and have received a lot of feedback," Leblond said. "We've been watching, we've been listening.
"Windows 8.1 will continue to build on what you love bringing the latest advancements in hardware, apps, cloud services and the OS to enable a unique experience in everything you do."
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