Top 6 features that Windows 8 needs to offer consumers

International Business Times, I wrote about the top 6 features that Windows 8 needed to offer businesses. In this article, I will discuss 6 similar features that Windows 8 needs to offer consumers in order to be successful. Once again, I can’t stress enough how successful Windows 7 has been for Microsoft. Apart from selling over 350 million licenses, it has also been almost universally regarded as a rocksteady, solid operating system. Now comes Windows 8 and it has to live up to the stellar reputation of it’s predecessor. Here are my top 6 features that Windows 8 needs to offer consumers.

UI continuity

This is always a tough one for bloggers like myself to write. Microsoft can not win here because we bloggers (myself included) are hypocrites. When Microsoft is radical with their UI, we gasp and predict doom! When they are conservative, we boo and ask for more radical! They can’t win. Having said that, since there will be two different UI’s for Windows 8, the more conventional (non tablet) UI should be more of a continuation of Windows 7 with more good stuff added. There should not be too much UI change here otherwise consumers get scared, confused and will stick with Windows 7.

Security Continuity

Windows 7 has done a great job with refining and enhancing the security of Windows 7. Some of the new security features that we’ve gotten a sneak peek at look like Microsoft are going in that direction. They need to make sure that there is no Windows Vista UAC debacle that creates negative PR for this operating system. If you want to see more about Windows 8 security, you can here, here, here and there.

Cloud Profiles

This one is simple. One user profile for the consumer stored in the cloud and accessible via any internet connected PC. A standard desktop and documents that follow a consumer wherever he or she may go. There are indications that Microsoft is going in this direction. It’s long overdue. If they figure out public/private/mixed cloud integration, they will have a hit on their hands.

Abstracted Maintenance

I recently wrote about how I was tired of receiving Windows Update notices. Make them go away! My pc needs to update itself silently in the background while I sleep or while my PC is idle. It needs to release services and drivers without restarting my PC and last but not least, it needs to avoid asking me for input unless absolutely necessary. Like a car, I need to only get a light on my dashboard when something is absolutely wrong with it.

Video Chat

Another no brainer. With the acquisition of Skype, Microsoft need to integrate video chat with Windows and give Apple’s Facetime a run for it’s money. Truth is, that would be cool for corporate PC’s as well as consumer PC’s. It would also thoroughly destroy Cisco’s video grip on the enterprise. Why pay for expensive Cisco powered conference rooms when everyone can attend a video conference from their desk? The trick here would be figuring out how to make commercial use free and make corporations pay for similar features. Also consumers would love to be able to use video from their desktops to cellphones. That would be big.

Integration with the Kinect (or Kinect 2)

Microsoft’s Kinect videocam has been a massive hit, selling over 10 million copies. A kinect or Kinect 2 would be a huge consumer hit, hopefully enabling users to use their bodies to play video games at their desks. In addition, the use of video for facial recognition would be helpful for both consumer and business desktop security enhancement. Microsoft is working really hard on developing windows 8. While the jury is out on the Tablet UI for Windows 8, hopefully the desktop UI will be more conventional and will continue to build on the stability of Windows 7.]]>