Text and photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla
Windows 8 is coming sooner than you think and the new touch-focused functionality works better on specific types of desktops, here are some things to consider.
Anyone fortunate enough to be buying or upgrading their desktop PC this year will have to think about Windows 8 and how this will impact their buying decision.
Windows 8 differs greatly from all previous versions of Microsoft’s operating system in that it is driven by multi-touch control as well as traditional mouse and keyboard control.
This means that getting a monitor, keyboard, CPU and mouse may not be the best option if you want to take full advantage of Windows 8’s features. This is also something to consider when looking to buy a new desktop for home use.
The thing is, the old monitor, keyboard, CPU and mouse configuration is really unnecessary for most uses. Big boxes were needed to cool processors and CPU’s and house large hard drives. Monitors were standalone units because they were too thick and heavy to be integrated. All that has changed with desktops like Apple’s iMac and many of its PC counterparts that manage impressive performance with one fourth the footprint of multi-component PCs.
All-in-one PCs increasing in power and functionality
We now have a variety of capable all-in-one PC’s that integrate the monitor and CPU and have the mouse and keyboard as wireless peripherals. It all makes for a cleaner, less cluttered and more stylish option.
HP’s Envy 20 TouchSmart PC starts at $799 and integrates a multi-touch screen into an all-in-one PC
A number of these all-in-ones, like models from Lenovo and HP, offer a full-PC experience which will run Windows 7 perfectly but are optimized for Windows 8’s multi-touch features.
The benefit of these multi-touch all-in-one PC’s is that you can tilt or angle the screen as needed and navigate directly with your fingers. I demoed a few of these PCs and was surprised at the speed, sensitivity and accuracy of navigating on the screen.
Screen is In
With Windows 8, the tiles can be scrolled quickly from right to left and even pinch and zoom gestures are almost as accurate as if one was using a tablet.
Lenovo’s IdeaCenter A720
Larger processors, bigger RAM and overall more power makes it possible to interact fluidly.
In Lenovo’s case, their US $1849 IdeaCetre A720 multi-touch all-in-one PC represents the high end of this market.
Featuring a large 27-inch multi-touch display and powerful Intel Ivy Bridge processors, the IdeaCenter A720 represents the state of the art for Windows 8 all-in-one PCs.
While the large size and price might keep many users away, many of the IdeaCenter A720’s features have already started to trickle down the line to Lenovo’s smaller PCs and it is only a matter of time before we will see multi-touch featured on many or most of their all-in-one PCs.
I expect this to happen across the line for most PC manufacturers looking into all-in-one PC offerings in the near future.
