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It has now been over a year since Windows 8 was released.
Touch-enabled laptops, convertibles, and Windows tablets are getting cheaper and more common.
Microsoft launchedWindows RTat the same time as it launched Windows 8.
For example, the Lenovo Yoga 11 looked like a laptop, but it actually ran Windows RT.
Windows RT has now settled into a place that makes more sense.
Nokia is in the process of being acquired by Microsoft.
There are no Windows RT devices mixed in with the other Windows devices you’ll find.
(ARM chips are used in most smartphones, iPads, Android devices, and Windows RT devices.)
This is a big deal.
When Windows 8 came out, touch-enabled devices were very expensive.
Touch screens are filtering their way down to cheaper devices.
The new Surface Pro 2 with Intel’s Haswell architecture will last for over eight hours.
However, larger devices will not include free copies of Office.
Related:What’s the Difference Between Office 365 and Office 2016?
Either way, businesses can’t benefit from this.
They’ll need a license for the full edition to use Office for business purposes.
You may want to use the new touch-first Windows 8-style apps along with it.
But here you’ll run into trouble.
The Windows Store, which contains Windows 8-style apps, still isn’t very good.
But you don’t have to take our word for it.
You cansearch the Windows Store websiteand see if the apps you want are there.
You’ll likely find a lot of questionable, unofficial apps.
Using the Desktop on a Touch Screen
The desktop really isn’t designed for a touch screen.
That’s not to say the touch screen is useless on a laptop; far from it.
However, the desktop itself was never designed for touch.
It’s a recipe for pain and frustration.
Either way, the long-term goal is to have every Windows PC on the market support touch.
Taken this way, Microsoft’s push for new touch-first apps for Windows 8 makes a lot of sense.
Related:Just How Bad Are Android Tablet Apps?
This is even true forAndroid tablet apps, which are much more numerous and higher-quality than Windows tablet apps.
Hopefully this has helped you understand the current state of the Windows PC market.
The Windows tablet app ecosystem is still very far behind.
Image Credit:Vernon Chan on Flickr,Cheon Fong Liew on Flickr,Intel Free Press on Flickr
