Windows 8 – What to expect

How the mighty have fallen. There was a time when anything that Microsoft did would result in pages and pages of news coverage. Today, only Google, Twitter and Facebook can do that, and Microsoft scrambles for media airtime along with everyone else.

And yet, although most of the world is firmly focused on the likes of Google+, Microsoft is steadily getting closer to releasing Windows 8, its next big operating system offering. Mary-Jo Foley, a dedicated Microsoft watcher, is now reporting that according to her sources, Windows 8 could be released as early as April 2012. More interestingly for most users, is the news that a beta version of Windows 8 could be released in September this year.

So, what can we expect from Windows 8 when it does finally hit our desktops?

ARM Processor Support

Small form factor PCs such as tablets and netbooks have transformed the market for good. One of the most important shifts as a result of this is towards ARM-based processors which are purpose built for mobility. Making Windows 8 compatible with ARM-based systems is what some would call a “no-brainer”. Not including ARM support would mean giving up market share. The future of computing is tightly tied to the growth of mobility and an ARM strategy is critical for staying in the game.

Better Touch Interface

Tablet PCs have also transformed ideas on user input. Touchscreen phones and tablets are fast becoming commonplace and users now expect decent touch input for most of their devices. Windows will be optimised for touch screen use, positioning the OS as a viable alternative for tablets and other small form factor devices.

Overhauled interface

With Windows 8 sporting new touch interface features, it’s unsurprising that the overall interface of Windows 8 will look significantly different. What does look likely is that Microsoft’s “Metro UI” will be the default for Windows 8. Metro is made up of a series of live “tiles” which can be used to launch applications, services or browse documents. The interface is similar in many ways to smartphone interfaces such as iOS and Android and is clearly designed to cater for touch-based input.

A video demonstration of the new interface.

128-bit

Support for 128-bit architectures appears to be on the agenda for Windows 8. A senior Microsoft researcher recently posted details on LinkedIn regarding his day-to-day work at the company. Among the details were indications that Windows 8 would include 128-bit support. Adding this to Windows 8 makes sense in terms of the evolution of hardware, even though most current users are still on 32-bit machines.

Better Cloud integration

Naturally Windows 8 will include better cloud capabilities. By default Microsoft’s Live Skydrive will be the preferred method for storing data online, but there will also be capabilities to use third party services as well as mapped drives.

Microsoft has not officially announced a release date for either Windows 8 beta, or the final release, but it is well within bounds to expect to see a beta this year and the final product next year.