Skip to main content

Acer execs approve of Windows Blue, Microsoft’s learning how ‘people living on earth think’

acer-aspire-r7-6
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Acer’s outspoken President Jim Wong is at it again. This time, he is full of praise for the upcoming update to Windows 8, also known as Windows Blue or Windows 8.1.

Although he didn’t single out any feature or improvement that is coming to Windows 8 through the update, he suggested in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that the changes as a whole will make the operating system more usable for users with older computers that don’t have touchscreens, or laptop touchpads that have not been optimized for Windows 8. Currently, the operating system with the colorful live tiles really rely on touch controls for navigation, which is much more intuitive if you have a device with a touchscreen.

It’s not that Wong is anti-progress – just look at the cool convertible R7 laptop – but he has been preaching “balance” to Microsoft so that Windows 8 can better cater to the rest of us without a touchscreen in our computer. After all, “the world in the next five years is not going 100 percent to touch,” Wong said. “Although touch makes a lot of possibilities for PCs, you need to take care of the rest of the world that doesn’t need touch.”

Microsoft seems to be getting the memo as Wong said the Redmond-based company has been accepting its suggestions “at a high percentage.”

Some of the main changes users have been asking for include reinstating the Start button and giving users the option to boot directly to Desktop (and therefore bypass the controversial home screen). While both Microsoft executives Tami Reller and Julie Larson-Green were more open to talking about Blue this week, neither gave away any detail on the exact changes to Windows 8 that are being rolled out in June. When asked whether the Start button will be making a comeback in Blue at the recent Wired Business Conference, Larson-Green said her team has been having “meaningful discussions” about this issue but that doesn’t mean the Start button is a done deal.

In Acer Chairman J.T. Wang’s opinion, Microsoft has been humbled by all the criticisms about Windows 8 and RT, despite moving over 100 million copies of the operating system within six months of launch, and is better off for it as the company seems more open to working more cooperatively with both manufacturers and users.

“In the past we consider they (Microsoft) live in heaven,” said Wang. “But now they go down to earth and they start to learn how people living on earth think.”

Editors' Recommendations

Gloria Sin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gloria’s tech journey really began when she was studying user centered design in university, and developed a love for…
Best color laser printers for 2024: tested and reviewed
A Brother printer on a counter in front of a brick wall.

The best color laser printers can be a great investment, saving you quite a bit of time and money. For shoppers worried about the long-term ink costs, you'll find color laser printers surprisingly affordable. Laser printers use toner, which lasts a very long time, delivering a low cost per page for monochrome documents and fast color prints. The best color laser printers offer quick performance and reliability to help keep your home office or small business productive.

If you need to scan documents for record-keeping and photo capture or want the convenience of a color copier, an all-in-one color laser printer is an essential tool for your small business or personal use. For a small added cost, you get expanded capabilities. That's why every model on this list is an all-in-one from the best printer brands.

Read more
The 5 best Wi-Fi adapters for PC in 2024
The Ugreen AC1300 Wi-Fi adapter in a desktop PC.

Whether you're designing it yourself or getting a pre-built PC, it can be easy to get a computer and realize that it doesn't have a native Wi-Fi adapter. Or, maybe it does, but you're internet speeds are getting faster, game downloads are getting bigger, you've already upgraded your router and need an adapter to match your newfound power requirements. No matter the situation, an external Wi-Fi adapter that you can add to your PC setup or even laptop setup will be worth your time. Here, we investigate the best Wi-Fi adapters for PC use. Most are incredibly affordable and just snap into a free USB port and start working.
The best Wi-Fi adapter for PC in 2024

Buy the

Read more
How to pin a website to the taskbar in Windows
A man sits, using a laptop running the Windows 11 operating system.

Windows includes many interesting tools, but if you’re like many people, more and more of your digital life is happening in your web browser and nowhere else. That being the case, you’ll want to keep your most important websites close at hand. The easiest way to access them in Windows is the Start menu and the taskbar, treating them more or less like programs in and of themselves.

Although easy overall, getting a website from your browser to your taskbar is slightly different depending on which browser you’re using.

Read more