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Workers can't escape Windows 8 Metro - Microsoft COO

CIOs reminded productivity soars when fun is eliminated

Windows 8 will help people work harder and faster, argues Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner, because the "immersive" Metro user interface removes all their distractions.

Highlighting business-centric features in the new OS, Turner insists Windows 8's fondness for fondleslabs will boost office productivity. The controversial handheld gadget-friendly Metro UI (described by our Andrew Orlowski as "a huge negative") will be an asset for businesses, Turner reckons, because full-screen apps will immerse workers in their spreadsheets, pushing distractions out of sight and ramping up output.

"We encourage IT professionals to begin using it to get a firsthand experience of how Windows 8 will give people a beautiful, fast and fluid experience with the mobility and familiarity they need to effortlessly move between what they want to do and what they need to do,” said Turner while giving a keynote speech at CeBIT today.

In an announcement accompanying Turner's plea to CIOs, Microsoft explained that Metro creates "an immersive experience that helps eliminate distractions". However, our man with the Windows 8 Consumer Preview argued that "nothing is going to disrupt ordinary users as much as the design changes Microsoft wants to introduce".

Turner also talked up Windows To Go, which stuffs a user's business apps, files, settings and a full corporate Windows 8 build on a memory stick, as well as improvements to networking and support for 3G and 4G, among other features. Windows 8 also includes Microsoft's virtualisation tech Hyper-V, with high-definition graphics and support for touch and USB devices on a local PC. ®

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