Monday, February 6, 2012

Windows 8: What We Know So Far




PCMag.Com - Most people with any interest in technology have now seen or maybe even had hands-on experience with Microsoft’s next big thing: Windows 8. And it’s clear most that the hybrid mobile-desktop operating system represents a huge risk for the software giant. But many would argue that it’s a risk the company must take in order to become a major force in the brave new world of tablet computing.

The most important thing to realize about Windows 8 is that it’s effectively two operating systems in one: The touch-tablet friendly, tile-based Metro interface that runs lightweight Web-app like programs, and the traditional desktop operating system. You get to the second through the first, and, though the desktop is arguably more powerful, it’s relegated by Microsoft to being just another app among your Metro home screen tiles. (If terms like Metro are unfamiliar, see my Windows 8 Glossary)

Whether users will acclimate to the mind-shift required by moving between the two paradigms is something that will partly determine the OS’s ultimate success.

And what becomes of the more than 1.25 billion Windows desktop users who may not move to the tablet format? As you’ll see in the course of this story, desktop users will certainly not be overlooked by Windows 8: Microsoft has committed to supporting any machine that runs Windows 7 with Windows 8. And not only will the newer OS offer improved features in the standard desktop view, but their systems will start up and run noticeably faster—one of the most compelling aspects of Window 8.             More