(June 3, 2011)
Microsoft presented their first public demo of their new Windows 8 OS on June 2nd, 2011. Â So what is the big deal about Windows 8?
- It’s all new. This is not an upgrade; it is a newly designed OS that uses none of the old OS’s platform.
- Native touch support. The OS is designed to create a better user experience centered on touchscreen technology. It is designed to work on a variety of screen sizes including mobile, tablet and desktop.
- Tablet emphasized. With all the hoopla about the iPad and other tablet PCs it is no wonder Windows 8 is featuring their new OS on those type of devices. However, Microsoft’s bread-and-butter is desktop PCs without touch capability; they expect this OS to operate on existing PCs as well.
- Web apps. All Windows 8 applications are built using web technology. Microsoft is competing directly with Google in this arena. There is speculation that the mobile apps that are available on Windows 7 phones may work on Windows 8. This would allow Windows 8 to hit the ground running with more complete app offerings.
- Speed. The new OS is promised to launch apps faster and return from hibernation speedily.
- Release date. Unfortunately, Microsoft didn’t give a date to expect it. There is some speculation that it will have to release in 2011 to stay competitive with the new version of Mac OS X Lion that is being debuted next week.
No matter how you slice it, Windows 8 appears to at least be interesting. There are still a lot of questions around how it will work on existing computers and whether it will keep Microsoft’s core constituency happy and productive; however it is something to keep an eye out for.
Tekniq will keep all of our clients informed as to how it will affect them in the future and make recommendations when more details are available.
Images from PC World
