Microsoft official announcement on Windows 8

Posted Date: 01-Jun-2011	Category: Windows 8 News	Rating:
Author: Tony John	Member Level: Diamond	Points: 100

After several months long rumors and predictions, Microsoft has made the official announcement on Windows 8. In this article, I give details of the recent official announcement from Microsoft regarding the upcoming Windows 8 operating system.

June 1, 2011: Today at D9 conference, Microsoft officially announced and demonstrated the "Windows 8".

Wait a minute, is the name "Windows 8" official yet? Microsoft has a smart answer to that question. It is internally code-named "Windows 8". What does that mean to us? Well, they leave us to guess and keep our fingers cross. By explicitly saying "internally code-named", Microsoft hints that they may change the name of "Windows 8" when it is publicly released.

Let us leave the name, but come to the point. There were 100s of websites talking about various new features expected in Windows 8. But Microsoft did not talk about most of them in the D9 conference. The official press release from Microsoft titled "Previewing Windows 8" mentioned the following key points:

- The new Windows 8 OS will consider PCs as a new kind of device, not just a desktop computer. It could be a small touch centric mobile device, netbook, slate, laptop or desktop, but Windows 8 can handle them all. Windows 8 be optimized for touch centric devices as well as keyboard/mouse based desktop computers.

- Windows start menu will be replaced in Windows 8 with a tile based start screen. This will allow fast launching of Apps.

- Windows 8 will have natural support for applications developed using HTML 5 and Javascript (hmmmm... what happened to the Silverlight?). Developers will have greater flexibility in developing cool web connected and web based applications using the standards based HTML 5.

- Live tiles on your desktop will always show the up to date information and notifications from the applications.

- Ability to snap and resize applications to the side of the screen so that you can work with multiple applications at the same time.

- Windows 8 will come with Internet Explorer 10 which will take advantage of hardware-acceleration for faster browsing and better performance.

- Windows 8 will be backward compatible with Windows 7. All applications designed for Windows 7 will continue to work for Windows 8.

- Windows 8 will be optimized for touch, but will equally support keyword/mouse based desktops. According to Microsoft, you choose the device, windows 8 will run it. Windows 8 is expected to inspire a new generation of hardware and software products.

- Windows 8 uses the power of HTML 5 and Javascript. they naturally integrate with Windows 8 and will take advantage of the power of the new operating system. Windows 8 apps will have access to a new set of libraries and controls. Apps can extend the OS, add new capabilities to your device and can communicate with each other through an interface.

Microsoft promised they have a lot more on the way and what they demonstrated in the D9 conference is just a tip of the iceberg. I am excited and can't wait to see the new Windows 8. Well, there are illegal downloads available, but that is not my cup of tea.

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