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Comment by dhughes | Hacker News Reader

Windows 8 is and I supposed designed for tablets but not specifically for tablets which is what I think is wrong, I'm sure everyone thinks that.

I'm curious to see how many people got tablets over the holidays and if Windows 8 use increases some.

Windows 8 is so different than the previous versions of Windows it's quite obvious people are out of their comfort zone. But I think it's good to see some attempts at change and this change is not "just because" it's a valid attempt at spurring sales because of the tablet craze.

I like Windows 8 but I am comfortable with computer and even I find it quite a leap there's no way my elderly relatives could figure it out, they have trouble even with Windows 7/Vista/XP.

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I find it quite a leap there's no way my elderly relatives could figure it out, they have trouble even with Windows 7/Vista/XP.

Metro is actually pretty simple on a touch device. I've seen iOS users figuring out the interface in no time. I think Microsoft's real problem is that for most people tablets are a different device category than laptops or desktops, so the choice for Windows is not automatic. Evenmore, most people in the market probably played with friends' or family's iPads and are more likely to choose an iPad, or perhaps an Android device if they have an Android phone.

Any relative of mine uses old hardware most of the time it's something I have given away, I doubt anyone has any hardware newer than 2008, most of it is ten years old.

Only recently my Aunt went from dial-up AOL to fiber Internet but her CRT monitor is so fuzzy I can barely read it. She uses Word Perfect and barely uses the 20GB hard drive she has.

She's the most tech knowledgeable of my relatives too she worked in a government office for decades but even Win 7 would be confusing.

But she said may soon splurge and buy a new PC but by that time it will all be Win8 so I am dreading that day, I read you can downgrade Win8 to be like Win7 I may look into that more.

I don't think that the problem is figuring out Windows 8 (something that anyone could do given enough time), but, rather, the real problem is unwillingness to buy. Having heard from friends and the media that Windows 8 is radically different, any remaining interest is dissipated on sight of screenshots or a demo computer in-store.

That said, my parents, when actually confronted with it, were fine; they weren't huge fans, but using the new interface wasn't a problem after they adjusted.

My parents could use their new Win8 computer quite well. But then, after seeing lots of tutorials, trying things for a long time and exploring all the new interface, they asked "Can't you really put a start menu on that thing?"

It's not the end of the world. But it's not a good interface either.

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