Will HP Folio 13 ultrabook get Windows 8?
Are you looking for Windows 8 ultrabooks? HP Folio 13 is not really a Windows 8 ultrabook yet, but it comes loaded with Windows 7 Professional edition. If you are looking for a Windows loaded ultrabook or netbook, read further.
Talks about Windows 8 ultrabooks, netbooks and laptops have been making the rounds on the web for last few months. The developer preview release of Windows 8 few months ago accelerated the rumors and speculations on the upcoming Windows 8 ultrabooks.
HP Folio 13 ultrabook is the latest ultrabook series from Hewlett Packard, the leader in desktop and laptop market. Unfortunately, Windows 8 is not released yet and HP Folio 13 is not a Windows 8 ultrabook. The current release of HP Folio 13 comes pre loaded with Windows 7 professional edition. If you are looking for a Windows 8 based laptop, netbook, ultrabook or a slate device, you will have to wait until Microsoft release Windows 8 to the public.
Microsoft is definitely working with laptop and tablet manufacturers to test the internal releases of Windows 8 on the latest hardware devices. Even though Windows 8 is backward compatible and would work on older PCs, the hardware manufacturers would make their own enhancements to support the new features in Windows 8. A typical example is the new touch features in the Windows 8. Microsoft has said time and again that Windows 8 is optimized for touch yet it will work perfectly for keyword and mouse based laptops and computers.Windows 8 on HP Folio 13
So, at this time, HP does not sell HP Folio 13 with Windows 8 pre installed. However, if you really want to try how it will look with Windows 8, you can go ahead and install Windows 8 developer preview edition on it. It is a good idea to keep your original Windows 7 on it and add Windows 8 as an additional, side by side installation. Another option is, you can install Windows 8 on a virtual machine and run it on your HP Folio 13 ultrabook. Learn more about how to install Windows 8 on VMWare Workstation.
The HP Folio 13 Windows ultrabook does not come with a touch screen. So you cannot take advantage of any of the touch features in Windows 8. Instead, you can play with the metro UI, new start up screens and other additional enhancements in the Windows 8 operating system.
HP has not mentioned anything about the plans to release Windows 8 versions of this ultra thin ultrabook series. However, most Windows laptop and ultrabook manufacturers are expected to switch over to Windows 8 instead of Windows 7 as soon as a stable release of Windows 8 hit the market. Microsoft has not announced the official release date of Windows 8, but many analysts think Windows 8 will be available by end of 2012.
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