Microsoft's 13 biggest wins and fails of 2012

December 14, 2012

Once upon a time, Microsoft had a name for its new design language, the aesthetic foundation for its pan-product UI: Metro. Microsoft was so proud of the name that the company glorified it on campus wall posters (the shot at left came from the Twitter feed of Microsoft expert Paul Thurrott). But in early August, the company did an about-face. The name Metro was peremptorily dropped, and Microsoft embarked on a tortuous journey to rechristen the new UI. The first advisory: Call it "New User Interface." Catchy! Since then, Microsoft has floated "Windows 8 Style UI," "New Windows UI," and "Modern UI Style" as acceptable synonyms for the look-and-feel formerly known as Metro. But the public doesn't need a fancy name for the new Microsoft aesthetic. We just need a single term that everyone agrees to use and that has some staying power!

Link: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2020274/microsofts-13-biggest-wins-and-fails-of-2012.html