I've tried the consumer preview. Metro is certainly different and takes a bit of getting used to, but humanity somehow survived without a start button prior to Windows 95, and we collectively managed to learn to use a bunch of other new computing interfaces, including DOS, Win 3.1, Win95, OS9, OS X, iOS, and Android. Like FCPX, Metro requires retraining, though I don't think that it requires thinking different to the degree that FCPX does. Also like FCPX, I think that some people will find they actually prefer Metro after getting used to it, and I'd suspect that you'll have go pry the Start button from the cold, dead hands of others.
There are a few cool things to like about Metro. It's clean and uncluttered with very little chrome, and a big emphasis on design, layout and large type to convey information instead of dozens of on-screen widgets, icons, and doodads. It's eminently touchable, but still reasonably keyboard-friendly with instant search.
While it will create a lot of headlines, I don't know if Metro will really big a big deal for most of us. Without a Metro-native NLE, Metro will be a bit like Launchpad. I won't be spending a ton of time in it: the vast majority of my time on my workstation is spent in the apps I do my work in, not on the desktop or in the start menu. Whether I launch AE, Pr, or C4D from the start menu, the task bar, the dock, or a tile seems immaterial.
Walter Soyka
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