I haven't been quite this excited about a product launch in a long time. But there are probably a few reasons for that, one of which is that I'm right in the middle of it - receiving training and endorsement from Microsoft themselves at my place of work, which includes a lateral promotion and some interesting swag I'm not even at the liberty to discuss yet.
What I can say though is that I've been playing with Windows 8 in Beta and Consumer Preview for a couple months now, and aside from a few hardware-centric hiccups from running it on a Tablet that was designed to run Windows 7 (and at that it was kind of a prototype from the CES 2011. It does however have the same type of Wacom pen that that Galaxy Note has, making it worth every penny)
Here are things I know for certain:
- Windows 8 is a deceptively subtle, yet radical change that will be seen as the biggest change to windows in many many years.
- In the computing world, this will be the single largest product launch since the iPad first hit shelves nearly 3 years ago. Of course, everything will refresh in the stores: New Desktops, All-in-Ones, Laptops, Tablets, and even Laptop-Tablet Hybrids.
- As evidenced by Windows Vista, the importance of this launch can't be underlined enough: if it goes well, consumers will upgrade sooner, spend more money, even boost the economy. If it falls flat, it means consumers will refuse to adopt, endure using older hardware and this will keep current minimum specs of most PC software in a state of stagnation that won't be fully corrected for several more years; just as it was with PC and subsequently console Gaming.
Adoption will go well if consumers understand and embrace it. With that in mind, what about your understanding of Windows 8?
What is Windows 8?
Windows 8 is the newest Operating System from Microsoft, that will officially launch on October 26th - 3 weeks from today. The primary design goal of this release seems to have been twofold: 1) Unify the Windows Experience between all Windows devices, including the Windows PC, the Windows Phone, and even the Xbox 360 Gaming console. 2) Make Windows relevant on emerging PC technologies - namely, Touchscreens and mobile devices.
As a result Windows will come in two flavors: Windows 8 Pro will run on any PC hardware (That is, x86-based processors, like those supplied by AMD and Intel), and Windows RT, which will run on energy efficient Tablet hardware (Processors which are supplied by ARM and others, which use a very different instruction language that stresses power efficiency; eg. the Tegra 3 Processor from nVidia which is found in most Android-based tablets).
Be mindful, most importantly, that Windows 8 RT will
not run regular x86-based software. It will exclusively run Apps, no more than you can install World of Warcraft or Quickbooks onto an iPad (unless theres an app for that).
There will likely be Pro tablets alongside RT tablets. There will
definitely be hybrids, aka. Convertibles: Laptops which fold into Tablets - not an entirely new concept, but it hasn't been visited in the mainstream.
As a bonus though, Windows 8 RT Tablets will all include the Office 2013 Suite of software - That is the #1 follow-up question to every prospective tablet sale I've been a part of in the last 2 years: "Can I install Office on this?" Well, now you don't have to.
So what's different?
For a Windows PC, not so much. You still have your desktop, you can still install software, etc.
However the first thing you'll notice is the traditional Start menu is gone, replaced with the Start "Dashboard" - which if you own an Xbox is a familiar concept of terms. From here you can run 'Apps' from the App Store, or place Shortcuts to traditional programs and web pages. These can be organized however you fancy, and most apps will have "Live" tiles, meaning they are not static icons, but will feed you up to date information. For instance, the News app will roll through the latest headlines; your calendar will display your most pertinent events; the People app will show you your recent facebook alerts, etc.
You can run pieces of software side-by-side (as far as Tablets go, only Samsung tablets seem to share this ability right now) and of course any software that can be run in Desktop mode can be run in any number of windows or side by side configurations just as you're familiar with now.
Charming
Also critically new to windows 8, just like Windows Vista & 7 revolutionized the Start menu, by turning into a "Search and Run" utility (vs. the old jungle-style of navigating through a hierarchy of folders to maybe find the calculator that you were looking for), Windows 8 re-revolutionizes that, and adds another powerful button,
Share.
With share you no longer have to copy a URL, go over to facebook, paste, type something witty, etc. - you just click the share charm from the web page you're viewing and the ability to post to your social media site shows up right there on the sidebar.
But getting back to Search, search is now essentially Meta - it searches everything. From search you type in the term you're searching for, and below the search bar is the list of all things it can filter through: namely, all of your apps. So if you search "Map", you can tap on the Web browser app from there and it will show you a Bing search result for Map. Or if you click the Store icon it will pull up every app in the store related to maps. Click on music, and the same thing occurs, it will search your music, and the marketplace's music. It's very mighty. And things like this will dramatically reduce the amount of time you spend doing things on the computer.
Cloud
The other major highlight is how important online services are now. You now have the option of your typical "local" user account, or, you can choose to log into your computer(s) with a Windows Live account. If you choose this option, for every computer you use it will sync all of your settings, preferences, purchases, and bookmarks. In this way, you can have the same account on your PCs, Xbox, (and Windows Phone), and using Skydrive, have all of your same files as well. If you enable Skydrive-fetch on your home desktop, your miserly 32GB or so tablet can still access all of your PCs files over an internet connection - even those not stored in your actual Skydrive (~7GB Free, More for an annual subscription). This also means it's relatively painless if you need to borrow your friend's laptop to do some work, since you'll have access to your own personalized workspace.
And, oh yeah: Windows 8 (RT and Pro) is the Only Operating system out there for tablets (right now) that will let you use multiple user accounts. Meaning that married couple can share the same piece of hardware without having to share the same virtual space for apps, documents and emails.
I haven't even really gotten into some of the technical stuff: if you explore the settings you will notice they've made it easier than ever to perform system repairs: the option is right there to do an in-place operating system reinstall for instance, meaning if your PC is acting buggy, you can quickly "reinstall" windows without affecting your files or screwing up your workflow.
So, how do I get this, how do I try it?
Windows 8 is available as a Release Preview here:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/release-preview
It's easiest installed by DVD or via a Flash Drive
If you bought a PC This summer, that PC is eligible for a low-entry upgrade price of $15 (or the EU equivalent), by going to
http://windowsupgradeoffer.com
MSFT will also be running a promotional period through January which will allow you to purchase licenses and upgrade-licenses at a discount. If you recall they also had a Windows 7 Family pack, which included 3 Upgrade Licenses for Home Premium - it was less than half the cost of the licenses after this promotion. If you plan to adopt the OS within the next year (or two), buy the licenses early!
What about everyone else? Excitement? Concerns? Criticism? Windows 8
should be in the stores a head of the launch - inside of the next 3 weeks. So if you're still undecided and you don't want to install it at home I'd still encourage you to stop in a B&M and have a poke around it.
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://w4.vanillicon.com/v2/466401cd19c9456f42bab76885725388.svg)
