Windows 8

Windows 8 is a reimagining of Windows, from the chip to the interface. A Windows 8-based PC is really a new kind of device, one that scales from touch-only small screens through to large screens, with or without a keyboard and mouse.

The demo showed some of the ways Microsoft have reimagined the interface for a new generation of touch-centric hardware. Fast, fluid and dynamic, the experience has been transformed while keeping the power, flexibility and connectivity of Windows intact.

Here are a few aspects of the new interface:

• Fast launching of apps from a tile-based Start screen, which replaces the Windows Start menu with a customisable, scalable full-screen view of apps
• Live tiles with notifications, showing always up-to-date information from your apps
• Fluid, natural switching between running apps
• Convenient ability to snap and resize an app to the side of the screen, so you can really multitask using the capabilities of Windows
• Web-connected and Web-powered apps built using HTML5 and JavaScript that have access to the full power of the PC
• Fully touch-optimised browsing, with all the power of hardware-accelerated Internet Explorer 10
  

Microsoft demonstrated effortless movement between existing Windows programs and new Windows 8 apps. The full capabilities of Windows continue to be available to you, including the Windows Explorer and Desktop, as does compatibility with all Windows 7 logo PCs, software and peripherals.

Julie Larson-Green, Microsoft's Corporate Vice President, Windows Experience, explained that although the new user interface is designed and optimised for touch, it works equally well with a mouse and keyboard. Their approach means no compromises - you get to use whatever kind of device you prefer, with peripherals you choose, to run the apps you love. This is sure to inspire a new generation of hardware and software development, improving the experience for PC users around the world.

Discussion also took place about how developers will build apps for the new system. Windows 8 apps use the power of HTML5, tapping into the native capabilities of Windows using standard JavaScript and HTML to deliver new kinds of experiences. The new Windows 8 apps are full-screen and touch-optimised, and they easily integrate with the capabilities of the new Windows user interface.

Microsoft are excited to bring an innovative new platform and tools to developers and see how their creativity jumpstarts a new generation of apps. Windows 8 apps can use a broad set of new libraries and controls, designed for fluid interaction and seamless connectivity. Apps can add new capabilities to Windows and to other apps, connecting with one another through the new interface. For example, Microsoft demonstrated how a developer can extend the file picker control to enable picking from their own app content or from within another Windows 8 app, in addition to the local file system and the network.

And this isn't just about touch PCs. The new Windows experience will ultimately be powered by application and device developers around the world - one experience across a tremendous variety of PCs. The user interface and new apps will work with or without a keyboard and mouse on a broad range of screen sizes and pixel densities, from small slates to laptops, desktops, all-in-ones, and even classroom-sized displays. Hundreds of millions of PCs will run the new Windows 8 user interface. This breadth of hardware choice is unique to Windows and central to how Microsoft see Windows evolving.

The demonstration followed Microsoft's announcements earlier this year about Windows 8 running on System on a Chip (SoC) processors, and their browser engine innovations and significantly increased standards support in Internet Explorer 10. Windows 8 extends these innovations and reimagines every level of the Windows architecture - the kernel, networking, storage, devices, user interface - all building on the broadest and richest ecosystem of software, peripherals and devices.

Julie explained that Microsoft are working very hard to get the product ready for early testing, and plan to kick off their engineering dialogue through their team blog, just as they did for Windows 7.

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This video introduces a few of the basic elements of the new user interface: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p92QfWOw88I