Win9 - Desktop+Metro Assimilation

After reading several posts and comments I have determined that people are torn in different directions about what they want Windows 8.2/9 (do we even know officially??) to be. People want more desktop while others want more metro/touch interface. I have done my best to combine them here. (A lot of inspiration came from Windows 9 by Jerry Jappinen, here)

1. This concept starts with the TASKBAR (or the superbar if you want to call it that).

• Use bottom left hot corner to reveal the taskbar with mouse (or use the bottom right).
• This will reveal the classic taskbar in all its glory.

2. Taskbar and Jumplists

• Jump lists will work just like normal (Word app) and will be improved with notification-center-like links (Mail app).
• I think that Windows doesn't need a notification center. Watching tiles works fine for me. I don't need to know that every app on my computer has been updated...

3. Charms

• Use top and bottom right hot corners to reveal charms, just like normal with mouse.  
• The charms bar will work just like it does in 8.1 now. I moved the date and time onto this bar. I liked how large it was in 8.1, but it looks just a little awkward I think out on the left side on its own. I put it here to blend in and be in the exact same spot as on the taskbar.

4. "Shrinking" and app switching

• Hover top right to reveal minimize, max, and close buttons. Clicking these will do exactly what they should.
• Press the maximize or minimize with mouse or swipe down half way from top to open the new windows “desktop.” The app will "shrink" to a slightly smaller windowed mode.
• Swiping in and out will also reveal the new desktop (currently this brings up the app switcher. In a way this is simply a new app switcher integrated with the desktop). Swiping in once will change the app like normal.

5. The new Desktop

The new desktop will be everything that the old desktop was and more. It will have the taskbar and all windows that are open will appear like cards (this is for touch users to scroll through them, then desktop users can use the taskbar.)

• Opening the new “desktop” will show all open applications (both metro and desktop) and it will reveal the taskbar below.
• The background will be the image or design chosen for the start screen. 
• Hovering over the top right of a window will reveal the min, max, close buttons.
• Clicking on or “pinching apart” the black bar between two snapped windows will cause them to separate.
• Instead of a separate desktop app, all programs and apps will automatically all be shown equally on the same level.
• Two apps can be rearranged next to each other and pinched together to automatically snap them together. They can then both be slid to the top of the screen where they will be maximized. (I didn't come up with a picture for it (but I may add one later), but I think it would be a cool idea if you could click and drag windows on top of each other so they snap together bottom to top as well.)

 

• The taskbar can be pinned to the bottom.  It displays all open and minimized apps.

• Clicking and dragging an app upward and to the side will cause it to snap to that side.

• Dragging an app to the bottom and quickly letting go will minimize it, while holding it at the bottom will close it.
• Dragging an app to the top will maximize it.

• Scrolling all the way to the right reveals the blank desktop, with files, and icons if you have anything there (sorry, I couldn't find any good metro icons...)

6. Start

 

 

• The start screen will behave almost exactly like it does now in Windows 8.1; however, swiping up from the bottom will bring up the taskbar.  Also, I think that it would be sweet if pressing and holding an app on the start screen would open a jumplist for that app much like the jumplists on the taskbar.
• I'm sure that Microsoft could think of some additional improvements for the Start Screen.

Please let me know what you think. I understand that there are a lot of gaps, but this is a pretty good start at combining the two interfaces permanently. Thanks!