Most Windows 8 users never launch Metro/Modern UI apps

[PityOnU]

Metro apps are designed for touch screen. If you don't have one (like me), there is no point to using metro apps. The metro apps are terrible to use with a mouse.
However, if you do have a touch screen, I'm sure the metro apps are easier to use then the desktop apps.

QFT (I just learned that shorthand yesterday!)

Quite honestly I'm surprised anyone who is in a non-touchscreen environment uses metro apps at all. I suppose it would still be alright for things like Netflix or YouTube, but other than that, they are really designed first and foremost for touch. You can't forget about the games offered as metro applications, though. I have ilomilo and Gunstringer and they're fun and pretty much require a keyboard to play well.

Although it is mostly possible now (the charms bar is still impossible to disable), Microsoft should really include a single, easy to find "switch" to globally disable metro functionality. I think that would solve most of the gripes people have, and would make a lot of sense for traditional users. My guess as to why it doesn't exist already is that Microsoft needed to push its store to the forefront to get developers to make apps for the platform (everything is measured in "X hundreds of thousands of apps" nowadays for whatever reason). Perhaps Windows 8.1 will introduce this feature now they have a decent bevy of applications to go off of.

 

[masterz87]

Never will use win8, and won't ever give up my win7 partition(only use it for testing websites in ie, but now that's moot since they've finally fixed the damn thing) and occasional gaming. They're going to have an xp on their hands again. They're going to claim the EOL is coming soon, and then they'll keep extending the cut off date because so many people are on it. I was on xp, and then 64bit until windows 7 came out(on my windows partition). On linux it's debian, and gnome2 like hell they're going to take that from me. I'm sticking until my computer breaks and I'm forced to upgrade. Call me a curmudgeon, but I hate change for the sake of change.

 

[Magsor]

Metro is great for my kids.
Windows 8 is almost identical to windows 7.
Put a metro UI in windows 7 and call it windows 8.

 

[The Milkman]

I barely use the Metro apps also, but I do have quite a few helpful ones that make simple things faster (say watching Netflix.)
Mostly I'm using Metro as a Start menu rather then a desktop, know you, because its CALLED the Start Screen and all.

If they do come... I hope they will realize that the article is about actual stats about Windows 8 usage.
Not someone's opinion about how Metro sucks...

That large image on OP would make me think something quite different.

 

[pwsincd]

I run win8 on our laptop because it shipped with it so I don't have an option in the poll It is not by choice it's by default.

 

[Mythrix]

I tried to use the Metro apps a bit in the beginning, but in the end I preferred using regular desktop software so I've mostly stopped using apps. I only use the Metro menu as a launcher. I used to use Launchy in Windows XP, but the launcher in Windows 7 worked well enough that I never really needed to switch back to Launchy.

In any case, I don't mind Windows 8 itself and there are a few upgrades that are kind of nice, like the new Task Manager and the new file copy dialog.

Not sure if Windows 8 really runs any better than Windows 7, but I can't really recall any critical issues/hangs in Windows 8 (been using it for over 5 months now). While I do remember at least a few in Windows 7 on the same computer (about 6 months). Though to be fair most of the issues/hangs were due to the nVidia driver... still, I'm using the same nVidia card with Windows 8 and it seems to work without issues.

 

[DinohScene]

Those are shortcuts, not windows. Your argument is invalid. You can't resize individual shortcuts on Windows 7 either.

If you have installed Skype and IE for example and you want to switch from IE to Skype, you're switching completely from one to another.
You simply can't have IE and Skype open at the same time in the Metro GUI.

I have to admit that it's an pretty okay concept on tablets and on the 360 (even tho I still don't like it)
It just doesn't cut it on a desktop/laptop.
Call me old fashion, but the desktop environment is godtier.

 

[PityOnU]

If you have installed Skype and IE for example and you want to switch from IE to Skype, you're switching completely from one to another.
You simply can't have IE and Skype open at the same time in the Metro GUI.

I have to admit that it's an pretty okay concept on tablets and on the 360 (even tho I still don't like it)
It just doesn't cut it on a desktop/laptop.
Call me old fashion, but the desktop environment is godtier.

Metro snap:

 

[Mythrix]

Metro snap:

I actually used that a bit too back when I gave Metro a chance, but that functionality does come with a few quirks when combined with the desktop mode:

• For one, even when you only have one app snapped to the side of the screen, the Metro interface sometimes covers the rest of the screen with the Metro background color until you Alt+Tab to a window.
• Also, on a multi-monitor setup, having an app snapped to the secondary monitor means the Start Screen and any Metro apps you open will open up on that secondary screen.

Not necessarily dealbreakers, but it does lower usability somewhat.

But I'll try again, tried snapping a weather forecast app to the side of my monitor now, will see how long I bother to keep it.

 

[orcid]

I don't like or use metro full screen apps. I only use the desktop. But opening a desktop program with the metro start menu or the search button is much better and clearer than the old standard start menu. Because of this I like Windows 8.
Probably with W8.1 the people will start to like Windows 8. It reminds me of the beginning of Windows xp. There were so many people who laughed about this new colourful windows ("for kids") and hated it. They wanted a desktop like windows 2000.

 

[Chhotu uttam]

UI Apps are not worth it IMO since 90%+ of your work(maybe even 100%) is done in 'desktop app' . Only if someone wants full screen and some other useless features, they use UI apps.

 

[BoxmanWTF]

The only metro app I have that I use daily is the built in Mail app.
It's useful, and has a simple UI.

 

[NostalgicMillennial]

meh I just use metro for token extracted windows 8 games.

please don't think too hard about this.

 

[PolloDiablo]

I use the Metro to go to work

 

[the_randomizer]

I run win8 on our laptop because it shipped with it so I don't have an option in the poll It is not by choice it's by default.

You can always reformat and install Windows 7.

 

[ProtoKun7]

I still use Windows 7...

 

[pwsincd]

You can always reformat and install Windows 7.

Yeah I know but it's my son's lappy, and he's had 6 months of win8 and doesn't mind it tbh; kids ain't as much creatures of habit as we are.

 

[Qtis]

OS X with Windows 7 via Bootcamp at home. I may change to Windows 8 after a while, but as I rarely play games on the computer, last time I've booted Windows was about a year ago or so. My work office is changing from XP to 7 at the moment and I doubt Win8 will be there any time soon. Compatibility problems in a large, cloud based system are a pain already with the XP to 7 transition. Especially with CAD/CAE and an integrated PDM..

 

[nl255]

The study still leaves us with 40% of Metro users, and Windows is easily the most popular OS in the world - that's millions of users. Windows 8 is the first OS to utilize Metro - naturally there is some apperhension as far as the use of the side apps is concerned, but that will eventually fade away as time goes by. Users simply got used to the old UI and cling to it, unwilling to adapt. I remember a similar situation taking place when users were unwilling to switch to Vista, clinging to their beloved XP for their dear lives and yet most of us use 7 these days. Change takes time, there is definitely a lot of good the live-updated tiles and apps can offer, users just have to discover it all by themselves, you can't force them.

Well I did use Windows 8 in Metro mode (no desktop shit) and it sucked. Since it doesn't allow any kind of browser plugins/addons (or even browsers other than IE) I had to set up a hack on my router to replace adblock. Not to mention having to install Linux on an old laptop so I could set up a pop3 to imap proxy because the mail app doesn't support pop3. It was a royal pain in the ass (especially typing on a touch screen) that I finally got rid of it entirely. Oh, and there is no way to get your contacts into the Mail app except by manually typing each one in by hand either.

 

[kisamesama]

this just does not work or make sense on a pc with no touchscreen.. the metro ui is neat and good for touch only