All About Windows 8

Microsoft doing Windows 8 Partner Preview at Computex

Microsoft promised to preview the next-generation of Windows at Computex on Wednesday.
The software giant held its Computex keynote on Wednesday and promised a partner preview event for the next version of Windows. The event takes place at 10AM local time in Taipei on Thursday June 2 (see other time zones). Microsoft’s Steven Guggenheimer revealed the event on Wednesday during Microsoft’s Computex keynote, according to Engadget. The event will follow a Microsoft demonstration of Windows 8 during the All Things Digital D9 conference later today.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer teased that the company is planning a unique approach to Windows 8 tablets last week. The software giant is working on a “unique contribution” to tablets according to Ballmer. “More news about that in the not-too-distant future,” he said. Microsoft’s Windows chief, Steven Sinofsky, is expected to demonstrate the company’s efforts with Windows 8 this week. Sinofsky is appearing at the All Things Digital D9 conference on Wednesday morning. Bill Gates introduced Microsoft’s Surface computer in 2007 and the company demonstrated Windows 7 multitouch in 2008 at the D conferences. Microsoft will show a “technology preview” of its Windows 8 Tablet experience at the conference later today.
Several Taiwan based PC manufacturers have reportedly complained that they have been excluded from early Windows 8 development programs. The software giant has reportedly held talks with Nvidia, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Intel and AMD to seek their participation in a special Integrated Development Program for Windows 8. Some companies have complained to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) in Taiwan to seek government involvement.
Microsoft is expected to detail further information on its next-generation of Windows at a developer event in September. The company is currently finishing Milestone builds of the software and is likely to deliver a beta copy of the operating system to developers in the fall. Microsoft’s partner preview event and D9 demo will only hint at the future of the platform, holding back vital information for a big unveil later this year. Windows 8 is expected to be released in late 2012, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer promised Windows 8 PCs, Tablets and Slates next year during a speech last week.

Windows 8 Tablet UI to be demoed next week

Microsoft is due to showcase its Windows 8 tablet UI next week, according to reports.
The respected Bloomberg news agency confirmed on Thursday that Microsoft’s Steven Sinofsky will demonstrate the company’s “immersive” touch screen UI running on hardware with an Nvidia Tegra chip. Microsoft is attempting to counter Apple’s domination of touch based mobile devices and tablets. Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, said the company is in a race during a speech in New Delhi today. “We are in a race,” he said. “We are not doing that badly, frankly. We are doing pretty well in that race. But the race is on to continue to push Windows to a variety of new form factors.”
Microsoft’s Windows chief, Steven Sinofsky, is expected to demonstrate the company’s efforts with Windows 8 next week. WinRumors exclusively detailed the company’s plans earlier this week. Sinofsky is appearing at the All Things Digital D9 conference on Wednesday morning. The software giant confirmed Sinofsky’s appearance on Monday. Microsoft has a habit of introducing new technologies at the Wall Street Journal’s D: All Things Digital Conference, which will run from May 31 to June 2 this year. Bill Gates introduced Microsoft’s Surface computer in 2007 and the company demonstrated Windows 7 multitouch in 2008. Microsoft will show a “technology preview” of its Windows 8 Tablet experience at the conference next week.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer promised Windows 8 PCs, Tablets and Slates next year during a speech earlier this week. Several Taiwan based PC manufacturers have reportedly complained that they have been excluded from early Windows 8 development programs. The software giant has reportedly talked with Nvidia, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Intel and AMD to seek their participation in a special Integrated Development Program for Windows 8. Some companies have complained to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) in Taiwan to seek government involvement.
Microsoft may introduce Windows 8 ARM based tablets ahead of a full desktop release according to reports. Microsoft’s competitive tablet strategy is believed to be further along than expected. Dell’s recently leaked Tablet Roadmap revealed that the OEM has marked Q1 2012 as its date for a Windows 8 based slate. WinRumors understands that Microsoft has been working on an ARM based version of Windows for nearly a year and that it is laboring hard to bring this to the market as soon as possible. Microsoft has previously promised a “major revamp” of Windows for slate applications, that will come in the next version, Windows 8.
Microsoft has so far been extremely quiet on the Windows 8 front. Windows Chief, Steven Sinofsky, took to the stage at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January to introduce a technology preview of Microsoft’s Windows ARM support and show off an early build of Windows 8. Microsoft is partnering with ARM-based manufactures NVIDIA, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments to produce new Tablet devices. Rumors suggest that Microsoft will create a dual-UI for Windows 8. A tile-based user interface codenamed “Mosh” will reportedly be included.
Steve Ballmer has described the next release of Windows as the company’s “riskiest product bet”. It is understood that Microsoft will feature deep cloud integration into the future OS to realise its vision of “three screens and a cloud”. One Microsoft employee recently said he believes Windows 8 will be the “most important Windows ever shipped.”

Windows 8 will come with “Windows 7 mode” feature, but why?

At Intel’s Investor Meeting 2011 at the company’s Santa Clara, California, headquarters on Tuesday, Intel software chief Renée James told her keynote audience that Windows 8 will come with a feature called “Windows 7 Mode”
Microsoft said that this information is ”factually inaccurate and unfortunately misleading.” but if we believe that this “rumor” is true, why exactly would Microsoft add such a feature to the upcoming OS that is said to be similar to Windows 7.
If Microsoft has actually added such a feature in Windows 8 there can only be one reason that there are some changes in the OS core that will make the OS incompatible with many applications we have been running on Windows 7.
I should mention that there is such feature in Windows 7 called “Windows XP mode” that allows users to run applications that are incompatible in Windows 7 but runs on windows XP.
There was a difference of about 10 years and many critical features between Windows XP and Windows 7 that made it easier for Microsoft to position Windows 7 among customers, but this difference is not that big between Windows 7 and Windows 8.
If this rumor is true Microsoft will have a hard time selling Windows 8 among Windows 7 users. (Source)