The main problem is that almost all the major improvements in the system itself -- and there are lots of them -- are going to get forgotten because the entire experience and impression is going to be dominated by the new "Interface formerly known as Metro" user interface and its combination with the traditional Windows Desktop which is also no longer really the traditional Windows Desktop. There's lots to like: Booting up the machine is almost frighteningly fast, even on a normal hard drive. The inclusion of the Ribbon in the new File Explorer, which replaces Windows Explorer, makes many functions much more accessible. There are terrific new features for repairing and restoring Windows without losing your data. The file system includes major new auto-backup and versioning features. And on and on and on.
My primary concern it that the schizophrenic nature of the combined "Interface formerly known as Metro"/Desktop is going to be so jarring and confusing for "normal" users that they are going to reject it, which would result in enough negative publicity for a replay of the Vista drama. I'm not really worried myself about the elimination of the Start menu because the new Metro start screen includes pretty much everything that the Start menu used to have. But I think it's a big mistake not to have a Start button in the same place where it used to be that will also open the Start screen. That simple trick would make the transition much easier for many, who will otherwise fumble around until they find the invisible areas in the corners that open the new menus or hit on the idea of pressing the Windows key. Simply having a Start button that opens the Start screen would make it instantly accessible and clear that it's a replacement for the Start menu.
The schizophrenic nature of the system is also more than skin deep. For example, the Start/Metro interface has a simplified version of the Control Panel that frequently refers users to the main Control Panel. A lot of things can only be configured in the main Control Panel and there is no clear path for getting there unless you know how. There are two versions of Internet Explorer: a simplified version without plugin support in the Metro interface and a "full" version in the normal Desktop interface. It may not always be clear why something is working or not working in IE, depending on which version you are running. And when you are in the Metro interface applications will ONLY run in full screen, which is fine on tablets but a little bit redundant if you have a 27" monitor.
Shutting down a Windows computer currently requires opening the Start menu, but at least you can then see the shutdown button immediately. To shut down Windows 8 you have to do this:
- Hover the mouse in the bottom right corner until the Charms Bar appears.
- Select Settings
- Select Power, then select Shut down in the popup menu.
On tablets the Metro interface will probably be excellent, particularly on RT tablets where the Metro interface is basically everything. The Pro tablets with the full version of Windows available may be interesting for pro users, but will definitely require an additional keyboard and a mouse to be usable. This has the potential for being very attractive down the road, the question will be if it ever gets there. If there is a massive user-level rejection of the schizophrenic interface it might not happen. I really don't know which way it will go at the moment, my instinct is that it could go either way, 50/50.