Take a look at the Control Panel from Windows XP on. They set up this categories view as the default. The problem was they didn't think it through so that even their own programs, think Outlook, didn't have a place there.
So in order to get to the Mail icon, or Java, or any other 3rd party icon you have to switch views to the icon view to find things.
Now look at Windows 8. It's going to be like that for everything. They have this new whiz-bang interface, but it's half-assed, not thought through and it's going to be inconsistent with every application that comes along. It's going to be a god-damned mess from the get go.
It might look good on a brand new tablet/notebook hybrid but as soon as you install anything on there other than what it came with it's going to start looking like crap.
It's not going to work on a domain. I doubt it'll work for gamers. No DIY enthusiast is going to be making anything for it. The best Microsoft can hope for is that they siphon off some money that would have gone into Apple, but in the long run their trajectory is headed straight down hill. All the company can do is flail around like a wounded pig as it slowly dies. Every chance the company has had for the last 10 years to make a move in the right direction they have stuffed it up.
The should have fired Steve Balmer a decade ago. They should have made a bitchin' linux distro in the late 90's instead of battling it tooth and nail. They never should have thought of the Zune. Plays-for-sure? stupid. Xbox? good job guys, you killed Sega, happy now? BTW, how's that working out, made any money yet? Bing? Oh yeah? You didn't watch much Monty Python did you? Vista? dear god. Windows 7? It's just vista but with a couple of mild interface tweaks. Office 2007? Everyone hates the ribbon so what do you do, put it on everything. Idiots. Office 2010? Really, you moved the tabs to the left in the Options dialog and charged for it? Screw you too Microsoft.