TechEd 2013: Windows is the Future

This keynote is, as the title indicates, all about Windows 8.1.

My takeaways and impressions after the jump.

Windows 8.1 Enhancements

It seems like there are hundred of little enhancements in Windows 8.1. Here are some of my favorites!

• Boot to Desktop – easy to set up in the start menu Properties
• Charms bar -  aligned to the position where you triggered the bar
• Win+x menu – has now shutdown, great
• Start Menu – pressing windows triggers the start screen only on the current screen and its less intrusive
• Start Menu – can be locked down so people in your organization can not change it.
• Kiosk mode- lock down to single apps.
• App alignment: there are multiple columns now in Windows 8.1, great to align them as you want.

Devices

Okay, there are some new fancy form factors. I liked the variety of them:

Web Things and other stuff

• Web DASH – hopefully I got the right name for this: It’s a better support for video streaming over http
• WebGL – integrated in the platform
• 3D Printing – there is a new standard for 3D printing built into Windows 8.1. The print menu is the same as for printing 2D documents – smart move.
• Outlook 2013 RT – available on every RT device
• Workplace join & work folders – this is interesting, clients can join a domain by themselves, after that they have access to their work folders.

Security

• Touch based finger print scanners – No more swiping, you touch the finger print scanners.
• Store – touch to give your consent to buy stuff in the windows store, no passwords.
• First time setup – login, skydrive pro gets all your data, much more integrated approach. Same applies for apps, with on demand download if you need them earlier.

Pictures

My iPhone apparently do not like the light settings, but here are some impressions.

My evaluation

Actually, the keynote was pretty weak. They showed some minor features, nothing new with a “wow” effect. This is maybe because of the parallel BUILD, who knows.