Is Windows 8 the best Windows ever? (and is it worth the $?)

The fortunes of once-mighty software giant Microsoft have been steadily waning. The company has been losing ground over the last two decades to Apple. Microsoft has always dominated the desktop genre but, with cloud computing and the popularity of hand-held devices, the days of the desktop seem numbered. Microsoft, determined not to go quietly, is making is most daring comeback bid yet with the recent release of Windows 8.

Windows 8 is such a surprising and innovative shift from traditional Microsoft thinking that it harkens back to the unabashed wonder I felt when I used an iPod for the first time. Windows 8 is intuitive, strikingly simple but dashingly functional. With the release of Windows 8, Microsoft has made the very important switch from geeky to cool.

Best features include:

• Touch and trackpad gestures are intuitive and make navigating easy
• Multitasking is made easier by snapping apps
• New and improved Desktop tools like Task Manager and File History
• Competitive pricing

Windows 8 is by no means perfect and there are a few kinks that need ironing out. I still miss the old Start menu, but I really liked the new functionality. The new interface will take some getting used to. It’s fairly intuitive, but I still had to watch some videos to take advantage of all the features. Some users may not want to put in the time to learn to use it, but I think its well worth the effort.

The Windows 8 app store is a little sparse, but this is a problem that is easily remedied. Security has also been beefed up on Windows 8 and the price is very competitive. As Microsoft moves into the touch screen arena not only with its new software offerings but also with a new tablet called the Surface, it issues a very viable challenge to Apples’ dominance of this market which is good for consumers and paves the way for new technology and better pricing.