News - Microsoft offers first preview of Windows 8

[HEXUS]

Looks quite a lot like Windows Phone...

Read more.

[jonny4288]

i think this shows a scared microsoft... with the smartphone / tablet market geting bigger and bigger and the interfaces of those being more widely used. They need to react so they dont get left behind. quickly,

I like the fact the ARM instruction set is going to be supported, some very low power chips those!

a lot of what was i saw has not really made me go wow, just oh right you guys are finally going to be doing that too...

[cameronlite]

It looked pretty cool to me - whether they are catching up or not.

If the embedded video doesn't work for you, try:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p92QfWOw88I

[Blackmage]

This is a really big change, I don't know if i want my start menu to be hidden from me...

Though i'm glad they've decided to take risks!

[Phage]

Bring back Xtree I say.

[this_is_gav]

This is a really big change, I don't know if i want my start menu to be hidden from me...

Though i'm glad they've decided to take risks!

It all looks optional. They showed a standard Windows 7-style desktop, so I'd be staggered if one wouldn't be available by default. They're not going to alienate the desktop/workstation market to just to accommodate tablets - it would be commercial suicide.

I have to say, this looks good, though I'm a touch apprehensive. I was thinking the other day how good it would be to have an Active Desktop that people actually wanted - a Windows Phone/smartphone sort of interface with tiles or actual widgets as the desktop, rather than a flat wallpaper with some little icons on it. The Vista/7 widgets just didn't cut it - they looked, and probably were an afterthought - seldom viewable if you were in an application and with little in the way of real use outside of an application. It looks like Win8 could go some way to rectify that. It wouldn't be as good if it was a clear-cut touchscreen interface or keyboard/mouse interface, so hopefully they've managed to make it flexible and customisable (in the sense that you can get the interface you want, rather than just the one they think you want).

All the ingredients are there for them to give the GUI a complete overhaul. I think the time's right and Windows needs a bit of an kick up the backside. Let's hope it actually works in reality.

[aidanjt]

Lots of shiny. Should be popular with the simple minded.

[d032sh]

Windows 8 = Microsoft Bob 2.0 for Windows 7

Hmmmmm

[TheAnimus]

Lots of shiny. Should be popular with the simple minded.

Yes us real mean use a console interface, and with only green, colours simply distract.

Anyone else is a simpleton.

The thing is you can have this on a fondleslab, yet immediately dive in to a proper OS, thats quite gnarly.

The point that icons are quite outmoded given our connected PC useage and processing power is surely worth mentioning. WIMP hasn't really had such a shake up in decades.

[aidanjt]

Yes us real mean use a console interface, and with only green, colours simply distract.

Actually...

The thing is you can have this on a fondleslab, yet immediately dive in to a proper OS, thats quite gnarly.

The point that icons are quite outmoded given our connected PC useage and processing power is surely worth mentioning. WIMP hasn't really had such a shake up in decades.

I didn't say it was entirely uninteresting. Merely that shiny appeals to the iFail generation. I wouldn't expect Microsoft to do anything other than to deliver what the masses are consuming.

I'm also more than happy to see Microsoft delivering a PC OS for ARM, that'll stimulate h/w vendors to start delivering viable ARM PC form factor products.

[HW_90]

I'd prefer it if the new UI only came up when using a touchscreen and the Windows 7 UI would be there without it.

also the new UI looks really complicated to get used to, I think that it's going to fail hard at launch because of this and the only alternative UI not being touch friendly

[CK_1985]

I'd prefer it if the new UI only came up when using a touchscreen and the Windows 7 UI would be there without it. <snip>

Do we know that this won't be the case? Even if not, I'm going to be optimistic and say that Microsoft will probably make it fairly easy to switch between the touch-friendly UI and the 'classic' mouse-and-keyboard style.

For me the only part of the demo that looked a bit naff was when he opened up excel and was seemingly immediately dumped back into a windows & style desktop - just looked a bit clunky to me. Other than that, it looks like a nice piece of design and exactly what windows needs to do to stay relevant in the current market.

[miniyazz]

This video really focussed on what looks like tablet-oriented features. Nothing there I really wanted on my PC. However, being able to switch between the two interfaces would be v good - for example as an HTPC, the tablet style might be better.

[Tattysnuc]

This video really focussed on what looks like tablet-oriented features. Nothing there I really wanted on my PC. However, being able to switch between the two interfaces would be v good - for example as an HTPC, the tablet style might be better.

+1. Definitely looks like they are trying to tap the slate/mobile market with this. Would love to see what other gesture based controls would exist in the OS as the ones added to 7 were a great start.

[TheAnimus]

For me the only part of the demo that looked a bit naff was when he opened up excel and was seemingly immediately dumped back into a windows & style desktop - just looked a bit clunky to me. Other than that, it looks like a nice piece of design and exactly what windows needs to do to stay relevant in the current market.

I think they where trying to show the legacy application support.

I'd think of it working best in something like the asus transformer thing, you have the touch UI when its in full slate, but dock it with a keyboard and shazam.

I'm not sure how they would smoothly do the transistion between the shells thou :S

[Spud1]

I love the idea - it's exactly what I have been hoping that MS would do with windows 8 all along..or at least it seems that way. Still not keen on their slate UI but I love the concept.

The idea that I could have both a touch and "classic" UI available to me in one package is really appealing - firstly in the traditional PC sense as I have a multi touch monitor on the way, but moreso as it means we may have a more useful tablet PC at last..one where you can have the tablet UI for pure touch interaction, but you could then dock it and it becomes a full (admittedly probably ARM based) PC with the traditional UI.

It's something that the competition just don't really do, it is unique..and imo very clever. As a concept at least - it will be a few months before we will properly find out I expect - but if they pull it off..it would be one of the biggest shake ups to personal computing in the past 15 years.

This could get VERY good if they can implement a decent method of cloud sync, where a tablet can really be a true extension of your home PC...mm good show Microsoft.