At the 2011 D9 Conference, Microsoft took the opportunity to show the world the next version of its operating system, Windows 8. Before you start hating before you even watch the above video, let us tell you that it looks sick. Really sick.
Windows 8 is a completely re-imagined version of the world's most popular OS. Many are calling it the biggest revamp of the Windows line since Windows 95 hit the scene. Designed with touch interfaces in mind, Windows 8 closely resembles Microsoft's new mobile operating system Windows Phone 7. Icons are replaced by large, hi-res, color-coded, real-time tiles. Those tiles appear in a "Start Screen" which replace the hallmark Start button.
The new OS is clearly aimed at the future influx of tablet computers. Microsoft is seemingly attempting to get in front of the tablet flood by building its next OS as touch-centric system. Apple is doing the same starting with Mac OS X Lion which will incorporate a number of features from iOS.
As no one has gotten any hands on time with the new OS, it's tough to say if this is really a complete overhaul of Windows or just a pretty casing to make it appear easier to use and more competitive with Apple's OS. Only time will tell. But as far as the aesthetics go, we think Microsoft nailed it.
[viaTech Crunch]
