The Windows 8 dilemma: Win 8 or wait for 9?

Help desk blues

Put yourself on the help desk and try explaining these instructions to a user who is already confused. Adding the Search button on the Start page was definitely a good thing – one more step to easing that transition to Windows 8.1.

With Update 1, we can now see which apps are running in the task bar and you can pin any apps to your task bar permanently. Prior to this upgrade, when you're were on the desktop view of a Windows 8.1 device, you couldn't open apps through the desktop mode view but instead had to switch to the Metro-style application view.

The ability to pin apps to your taskbar makes it really easy to switch between apps – regardless of whether you use desktop view or apps view. For the Power Users in an enterprise, who are accustomed to multi-tasking between different apps, clicking and running an app from the taskbar is now like previous version of Windows – making the new update even more enterprise-friendly.

A transition enhancement with Update 1 is the location of the Windows Store app. By default, the Windows store app is pinned to the taskbar and can also be found on the Start page. This means you can access the Windows Store from either modes, desktop or apps view. As more apps become available in the Windows Store, this enhancement may become useful in the enterprise, but until then I can’t see it really making an impact to the typical enterprise user.

Depending on the enterprise, they may have standards and policies that restrict installation of applications or apps without the IT department’s knowledge – making easy access to the Windows Store a moot point.

For users that like the traditional desktop feeling, you'll be happy to know it that the awesome minimise and close buttons are back – and all the users are used to that the red X in the corner..

As I said before, there are features that were only made available to non-touch enabled devices running Windows 8.1 Update 1, bringing back some more functions that we are all accustomed to from previous version of Windows.

After taking Update 1 for a spin on a desktop I did notice an improvement with how the mouse worked with the apps. You can close out apps with the X on the top right hand corner of an app like you would in previous versions.

Closing an app, minimising an app or simply right-clicking an app to complete a task shouldn’t be a hard to do, so adding these functions back was definitely an improvement. The removal of basic functions as this just causes confusing for some users which is results in more questions and helpdesk tickets.

A feature I think enterprises will adopt right away is the ability to force the desktop view for users. Forcing the desktop view instead of the traditional Tile apps view will present a more traditional desktop, making the transition to Windows 8.1 Update 1 smoother. The closer the upgrade is to what the users are accustomed to, the easier it is for users to accept the upgrade instead of resisting it. Happy users means a happy IT department.

Microsoft is clearly trying to make the enterprise transition to a Windows 8.1 world more of a smooth move. The “return” of functions shows Microsoft is trying to win over the traditional desktop user in business and enterprise.

What's my verdict? Windows 8.1 update 1 is about as enterprise-ready as Microsoft's touchy operating system has ever been - which isn't saying much. Is it time to therefore take the leap, and to upgrade? Maybe.

But with rumours of yet-another update coming and of an even desktoppier Windows 9 in the pipeline for next year, it might be worth holding off at least until 2015. ®