Introducing Windows Red: A serious plan to fix Windows 8

Windows 8 is a big flop. Its Frankenstein interface combines two fundamentally incompatible operating systems (Windows 7 and Metro) with two interaction styles (mouse/keyboard and touch). Sadly, Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8.1 “Blue” doesn’t address these fundamental flaws.

Windows needs a basic reset, not cosmetic changes. That’s why InfoWorld has designed the next edition of Windows for Microsoft. We call it Windows Red, a serious modernization of Windows that would move the platform forward and satisfy desktop and tablet users alike — both at work and at home.

The detailed Windows Red plan. | All our Windows Red, “Blue,” and 8 analyses.

Mockups: Ben Barbante | Contributors: Woody Leonhard, Doug Dineley, and Eric Knorr

Windows Phone’s People app is an intriguing concept — a central place to keep up with the people in your personal and work live across all their communications and social channels. Windows 8 Metro has the same app, reworked for a tablet screen.

Windows have the same app, but designed for the Windows 7-style UI of a PC. So Windows Red Pro adopts the People app.

Apple’s iOS and OS X apps offer shared widgets such as to tweet content from any supported application. Likewise, its iCloud bookmark list allows shared content bookmarks across devices. Windows 8 partially adopted that notion as the Share and Devices charms, but you have to leave the application context to use them.

Via its Share widget, Windows Red Pro provides standard services — such as Tweet, SkyDrive, Print, Share Screen, Pin, and Bookmark — to any app whose developer wants to use it.

Windows Red Pro keeps the syncing of app state and preferences introduced in Windows 8. It retains integration with the SkyDrive cloud storage service and allows third-party cloud services to be integrated into the Share widget.

The Metro environment in Windows 8 and Windows RT goes a long way to satisfying the needs of a tablet’s touch environment, so Windows Red Mobile is essentially an enhancement to Metro. Think of it as Windows RT but with support for standard Microsoft enterprise connectivity and security, including Group Policy, domain joins, Exchange ActiveSync, and BitLocker.

Windows Red Mobile uses the same tiled Start screen as Metro. But gone is the Charms bar; its services are integrated into apps, just as we did in Windows Red Pro.

To shut down or restart, press and hold the physical power button, as you would on any smartphone. For devices with a physical Start button, pressing it toggles among the main Start screen and open apps.

For the good and bad of Windows 8, check out these other InfoWorld slideshows:

• App wars! Windows 8 Metro vs. the iPad • Top Metro apps for Windows 8 power users • Making the most of Windows 8: The diehard’s guide • The 20 Windows 8 features you’ll love the most