September
13, 2011| FoxNews.com
At the Build
developer conference in Anaheim, Calif., Microsoft finally pulled the cover off
its next-generation operating system, Windows 8 -- a drastic overhaul of the
Windows platform -- as the software company looks to refine its focus towards
touch-centric devices to compete with Apple's iPad tablet.
"Things are
pretty different from 1995, the last time Windows went through a pretty
significant evolution," Sinofsky said. "Everything that was great
about Windows 7? We took that and made it even better in Windows 8."
The company faces an
uphill battle when it goes to sell its new product, however -- something not
expected to occur until fall 2012. FoxNews.com revealed last week that
businesses are likely to pass on the update.
Consumers are almost
certain to enjoy Windows 8, however: Most PC manufacturers will probably adopt
the software for future computers, meaning that new laptop you buy in 2012
might be running it. And the company thinks its new OS will power the tablets of
the future.
So what will your
next PC look like?
"We're going to
re-imagine Windows," Sinofsky said, from the fundamental basics including
how the system uses memory and interacts with the processor "all the way
up to a brand new user interface."
That interface is
called "Metro." It will run on top of the operating system and is
clearly intended to work not just with all those computers but also with the
emerging world of tablets that have taken consumers by storm. The new UI will
displays applications as tiles for quick and easy access while allowing
toggling between a classic Windows look.
This represents a
complete overhaul of of the Windows interface -- something you certainly don't
see every day.
User interface
changes include a new "lock screen" for the operating system that
gives far more information at a glance than the current iteration of Windows.
The operating system also includes pervasive touch input controls -- a signal
that Microsoft will be focused on devices that emphasize touch -- namely
tablets.
"The minute you
use a touch device with Windows 8, I promise you'll go back to your computer
and you'll be hitting the screen," Sinofsky said. The company has built a
pop-up keyboard into the operating system, and touted spell-check throughout the
entire OS as well.
Modern tablets --
notably the industry leading Apple iPad -- feature instant on features and
consume very little memory. To demonstrate that Microsoft can compete, Sinofsky
demonstrated a Lenovo laptop with an Intel Atom processor and 1Gb of memory
running Windows 8. Windows 7 used 404MB of that memory, he said. Windows 8 uses
281 MB of memory, leaving far more free for applications.
That extra memory is
"free for you to use with your applications and your software. That's
quite an accomplishment," he said. He also showed off computers that boot
up in mere seconds.
The main challenge
the company faces in the tablet world: those gizmos rarely run on the standard
Intel or AMD chips that power the vast majority of ordinary desktop computers.
To enable WIndows 8 to run on the ARM chips that power most of them required the
company to rewrite the operating system to support them. The company did.
Sinofsky
demonstrated Windows 8 working seamlessly on an ARM-based tablet device --
proof that the company has made progress on that front.
His presentation was
at a developer conference, of course, so Sinofsky's speech included plenty of
information about how applications themselves are written.
"We had this
bold notion that apps should work together as a web of apps so when you add an
app, the system gets richer and richer," he said. Microsoft is launching
its own app store which will include both Metro-style apps as well as classic Windows
32 programs.
It's far too soon
for Microsoft to put a price tag or a release date on the new OS. Heck, it's
too early to say when we'll even get a beta version enthusiasts can play with
-- although developers at the event were given a pre-release version to begin
testing applications with.
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