Windows 8: Smudge, That’s Your Window Open

Microsoft has revealed the first details about the next version of Windows. The group promises amazing things: the program loads within seconds and is controlled via a touch interface. Sounds revolutionary – but of all hardware manufacturers are deeply critical. The future seems to have arrived at Microsoft. And she looks like in “Star Trek”. That, at least the first impression one has of whom one, the new touch interface of Windows 8, which Microsoft has presented on Wednesday for the first time in public. Large colored tiles that are loaded automatically into the current data, where once was the desktop again. Windows 8, which is no doubt, has many borrowings from the smartphone operating system Windows Mobile made 7th.

With the new software, Microsoft wants to competition from Apple and Google oppose a new emphasis. Especially in the booming tablets and smartphones, the Group has so far little shine, is a niche supplier rather than market leader. Attempts to adapt as PC software Windows praised 7 on touch screens are now bogged down largely luck. Windows 8 will eliminate this flaw and Microsoft executives, according to Michael Angiulo developed a good eye for ultraportable devices and touch screens.

The user can see the immediately. As with Microsoft‘s mobile software here dominate the so-called Live tiles, tile-shaped display box, the new e-mails and messages in social networks or the weather outside the door to inform. Similar to Google‘s Android and Apple‘s iOS can by wiping the screen trigger actions, for example, to switch between active applications. A demo video of the group, according to the works already very smooth.

Unfamiliar users should initially be PC for that application by default in full screen mode to run, so you can see get to any desktop. It is this desktop is definitely still there – it just be called explicitly. Traditional Windows applications are side by side with the new apps to run, it will be for Windows in the future. These apps are likely to continue so-called widgets replace the current Windows 7 on the screen can be placed in.

A nuisance, the Windows user is pursued for years, often minute-long wait until the PC after switching service. With Windows 8 will be the past: Microsoft replaced for the BIOS (Basic Input / Output System), the cooperation between Windows and the PC controls the hardware through the modern and UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface). In the combination is the one PC start within six seconds allow.

This software is – almost – everywhere

Shortly after the demonstration in the U.S. Microsoft showed at the Computex trade show in Taipei, which run on Windows hardware 8. For desktop PCs and notebooks, the system is very flexible. As part of the demonstration software on several different computers with standard hardware was shown. These included both computers that are already on the market, as well as those that are yet to come on the market. Was more exciting then the demonstration of the software on devices that do not follow the so-called x86-standard, not based on processors from Intel or AMD, but to those based on the popular mobile phones and Tablets ARM technology. Microsoft had already announced that the next Windows will also support such chips, now it was on display for the first time.

Particularly interesting was the fact that Taipei is not only the usual touch-tablet technology was conceived with this, but also a seemingly ordinary notebook in which Windows on Nvidia’s Tegra-2 chips ran for 8, which would otherwise, especially in the current Android 3.0 Tablets come to use. Such a combination promises in addition to good performance, especially long battery life.

Just as mobile phone manufacturers in the Group’s mobile operating system made ​​exact specifications, Windows smart phones is to use hardware for which he is doing it now for Windows-8 Tablets. Performance boost to be a 1-GHz processor and a graphics chip with hardware provided. The screen has a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels offer. Some features are only unlocked when the display is 1366 x 768 pixels displays at least, that is 16:9 format dominates.

Headwinds from Taiwan

While technical details and the look of the new interface a mostly positive reception to find, Microsoft is in some hardware manufacturers for excitement. On Tuesday reported “Bloomberg” , with reference to three anonymous sources, Microsoft wants to chip manufacturers and producers closer together bind Tablet. According to the chip producers, which only work with an equipment manufacturer, will be rewarded, for instance by Windows licenses or certain features only get better on their hardware or particularly good run on their hardware.

Microsoft could solve the dilemma so that the adaptation of Windows takes on many different devices for a long time and can delay the introduction of new device categories. A problem that Apple has not because the iPhone Group hardware and software completely self-controlled and adjust its operating systems only to a very limited number of equipment. Microsoft confirmed the rumors so far, however. Instead, they pointed out that Windows 8 is still in an early development phase and it was under this development in talks with hardware partners of the company.

How do you say now?

Still doth already resistance, particularly in some hardware manufacturers from Taiwan, including Acer, Asustek and HTC. A report by the “Digitimes” concludes that the Taipei Computer Association (TCA) has already Taiwanese government to intervene invited because Microsoft in the development of Windows 8 companies treat preferred few.

According to the report, Microsoft, chip maker Intel, AMD, Texas Instruments, Qualcomm and Nvidia invited to become involved in the development of Windows-8. These are the companies choose two equipment manufacturers who develop their prototype chips for Windows 8th Apparently Microsoft has also stipulates that Dell, HP and Samsung will be among the first to be allowed to work with the new system.

With this scheme, the Group did therefore not only the Taiwanese manufacturer against him that were not represented at all, but the chip maker. The fear now, they might vex important customers if they are allowed to nominate only two hardware partners.

But Microsoft still has time, his relations with the Taiwanese hardware industry rectify. For introduced to the new operating system, should take at least six months. The consumer electronics show CES next January, should be targeted as the starting point of the U.S. group. Until then, the company also has plenty of time to think up a name. Officially, namely, the Group still speaks of “the next Windows,” and writes the “code name of the system” Windows 8 “consistent with the quotation marks – and it still keeps all options open.

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 5th, 2011 at 1:14 am and is filed under Technology. Tags: Microsoft, Software, Windows 8 You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.