It features blocks or “tiles” that can be moved around the screen or tapped to go straight into an application. In both versions, Windows 8 features a completely new interface, borrowed from what Microsoft calls the “Metro” style of the current Windows Phone software.
The world’s largest software company generally tries to bring out a new version of Windows every three years, so that would indicate a full release date around October this year, in time for the holiday shopping season. Microsoft says it is aiming to get machines running on both the ARM and Intel platforms into the market at the same time, but has not set a target date. Sinofsky said people from 70 countries had already downloaded the software on Wednesday morning, but he did not give exact numbers. Consumers will have to wait longer to try out the full experience on ARM-compatible tablets. “It’s incredibly fast and fluid to just navigate this UI (user interface)”, said Sinofsky, showing off Windows 8 on a tablet and an ultra-thin laptop at the event in Barcelona.Īnyone can download the new version of Windows, but it will only work on PCs and laptops running standard Intel Corp INTC.O x86 chips. But Microsoft has found itself sidelined in the rush toward mobile computing by Apple, Google Inc GOOG.O and Inc AMZN.O. Windows 7, Microsoft's last operating system, was its fastest-selling ever, racking up 525 million sales in less than three years. “It’s an even better Windows than Windows 7,” said Steven Sinofsky, head of Microsoft’s flagship Windows unit, as he demonstrated the new system at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Windows 8, as the first Microsoft operating system compatible with low-power microprocessors designed by ARM Holdings Plc ARM.L, will run on tablets as well as desktops and laptops, in an effort to counter the runaway success of Apple Inc's AAPL.O iPad. Windows' and Windows Live Division President Steven Sinofsky attends the Windows 8 Consumer Preview presentation at Hotel Miramar during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona February 29, 2012.
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