14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is once again under fire for the way it designed the new Windows 8 and the terms used to describe the operating system are pretty much the same as before.
Disappointing, unintuitive, and inferior to iPad’s iOS, that’s how Jean-Christophe Lalanne, the CIO of Air France and Group CIO of Air France-KLM, sees Windows 8.
Lalanne told Computing.co.uk that Microsoft has made a big mistake when it decided to remove the Start button from Windows 8, especially because the company now changed its mind and brings the feature back in Windows 8.1.
"Two days ago, I told Microsoft what we think: there is a sort of disappointment. Windows 8, as it is today, doesn't fit with obvious behaviours. It's not intuitive enough. Intuition is not sufficient. Microsoft will propose new releases and it'll get better but the first reaction is it's absolutely not comparable with iOS – there is a huge gap,” he was quoted as saying.
What’s more, Lalanne claims that Microsoft is indeed aware of the confusion created by Windows 8 and this is actually one of the reasons why the company decided to relaunch the Start button.
"They have decided to restore the Start menu, but it's unbelievable why they didn't decide to implement it at first. Why do they need to wait for the second release to do so? I think that they have not yet reached the user experience expertise that you can find within Apple,” he continued.
As far as his company is concerned, Lalanne says that at some point, Air France could make the switch to a Windows operating system, but that would be very difficult to happen unless the tech giant implements some major changes.
"That's my first reaction. It doesn't mean that we will not use it – we are just observing – but I think that Microsoft has six months – no more – to succeed. If at the end of the year they have not really changed our mind, it will be difficult to implement their products,” he added.
And now, the funny part: Air France-KLM has an internal policy to offer free Apple devices, be they iPads or iPhones, to staff. Still wondering why he hates Windows 8 so much?