Windows 8 Bible

The Windows 8 Interface

As with many previous versions of Windows, Windows 8 introduces a new user interface. Unlike previous versions, however, Windows 8’s new interface is radically different from what we’ve come to know as the “traditional” Windows user interface. Clearly designed with the tablet and handheld market in mind — at least in large part — Windows 8 gives you a simplified, clean user experience with tiles providing access to applications.

Note

The Windows 8 UI look isn’t just about tablets and small form-factor devices. To Microsoft, the new UI is really as much an aesthetic concept as it is a user interface. It’s about uncluttering the desktop, websites, and PowerPoint decks almost as much as it’s about uncluttering the Windows user interface.

The Start screen

Figure 1.1 shows the Windows 8 Start screen, a key component of the new Windows 8 interface. You’ll learn how to navigate the new Windows 8 interface in Chapter 2. For now, understand that the tiles on the Start page, like icons on the traditional Windows desktop, give you quick access to your programs and documents. Tap the Internet Explorer tile, for example, and Internet Explorer opens. Likewise, click or tap the Photos tile, and the Photos app opens, enabling you to view the photos stored on your computer, or in SkyDrive, Facebook, Flickr, and other locations.

FIGURE 1.1 The Windows 8 Start screen

A key difference between Windows 8 tiles and desktop icons, however, is that tiles can be live, ...