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Computers and phones have long since morphed beyond the basic functions for which they were originally invented and become, among other things, entertainment devices. So how will Microsoft respond to this trend?
The most prevalent content-related rumor in the Windows 8 universe is that Microsoft is working on an app store. This is hardly a shock. Microsoft has already attempted to copy Apple’s retail store model, and nearly every major platform now supports an app market of some kind. Sometimes imitation is the sincerest form of flattery; other times it’s just good business. We think a Windows app store just makes sense, and could potentially prove more successful than the Mac App Store, given Microsoft’s massive installed base. Our biggest question on this one is whether Microsoft’s entry into the arena could spark antitrust inquiries into the practice of first-party app markets, thereby posing problems not just for Windows 8 but for Android and iOS as well.
Probability: 80%
At long last, Microsoft seems to be building PDF support directly into Windows with an app called Modern Reader. Presumably, Modern Reader will read a whole lot more than just PDFs, just as Preview does on the Mac. We’re filing this one under D for “duh, it’s about time.”
Probability: 90%
For more than a decade, Microsoft has labored unsuccessfully to get people to buy Windows tablets. First there was the Tablet PC, then the Project Origami UMPC tablets (which, surprisingly, still exist), and more recently the HP Slate, which we’re pretty sure only a few people—all of whom were relatives of HP or Microsoft employees—bought. To counter this consistent flatline of interest and to capitalize on the current touch tablet craze, Microsoft is making a few moves to optimize Windows 8 for the slate.
How do we know Microsoft is making Windows 8 for tablets? Because Ballmer basically told us so. In his keynote address at CES in January, big Stevie B. demonstrated a “future version of Windows with the current interface” running on an ARM processor, and spent a long time talking about the massive role the diminutive System On Chip (SOC) architecture will play in the company’s future. Intel’s Renee James confirmed this earlier this week when he stated that Microsoft will release multiple versions of Windows 8 for both x86 and ARM, including four distinct builds for the latter. What this means is clear: Windows 8 will be designed to run on low-power chips from ARM, Qualcomm, AMD, Intel, and Texas Instruments. What form this functionality takes is not clear yet, however.
Probability: 90%
Taking SOC support as a given, the next Windows would be doomed on tablets without some serious improvements to the touch interface. Unsurprisingly, the Windows 8 rumor forums are awash in chatter about touch-friendly improvements throughout the upcoming OS, many of which appear to have been adapted directly from Windows Phone 7.
Probability: 80%
In what clearly looks like a major concession to the tablet form factor, early builds of Windows 8 include the option of a pattern login screen similar to that of the Android OS. In YouTube videos showing the feature (most of which now appear to have been removed at Microsoft’s request, which likely corroborates their legitimacy), the pattern screen consists of a 16-block grid, which would allow for more complex security patterns than Android’s 9-block grid. As far as we’re concerned, this pattern login screen is a done deal for Windows 8, and lends an air of near certainty to reports of more comprehensive touch interface enhancements.
Probability: 90%
While a great many unknowns remain in the months leading up to Windows 8’s debut, there are a few more forthcoming features that we do have some good information about.
Power users will get quicker access to the Windows Resource Monitor and Task Manager through a single control panel redubbed Modern Windows Task Manager. There’s little in the way of new functionality here, but the merged control panels will make quicker work out of spotting resource hogs and shutting them down with one click.
Probability of actually appearing in Windows 8: 90%
To speed up boot times, Microsoft seems to have worked up a new method of shutting down and starting up known as Hybrid Boot. This approach reportedly works more like hibernation than actual shutdown, leaving lots of data cached for ready retrieval when the system is fully powered up again. Leaked screens also show an option to revert the system to conventional shutdown mode for users who’d rather conserve power. Also, it looks like Hybrid Boot will not alter the way Windows restart works.
Probability of actually appearing in Windows 8: 80%
We know you’ve all been waiting for this one, so we won’t hold out on you any longer: Yes, Windows 8 will have the long-awaited Genuine Center feature that will finally lay to rest all your worries about the possibility that your copy of Windows 8 might not be the real deal.
OK, so we’re being sarcastic, but you had to know this was coming. Microsoft’s war on software piracy has long masqueraded as a user service, and the Genuine Center looks like little more than a continuation of that trend. In this menu, you’ll be able to enter or change your license key and view the status of your license’s genuineness. Microsoft to users: You’re welcome.
Probability of actually appearing in Windows 8: 100%
Comments are closed on this article
caterin
January 04, 2012 at 11:54pm
To help users manage disk space, Microsoft appears to have revamped the Disk Cleanup utility for Windows 8.Phlebotomy Training
pyrilampes
May 25, 2011 at 8:39am
So, Basically,
Now Windows 8 has taken the cue from the third party apps that supported its functionality and put them into Windows, added another proprietary disc format. Added another "are you sure you own this software," fixed some problems, matched features of existing operating systems, promises you have to buy new software again and wants you to pay for it?
By the way iso burning has been an option you could install in XP. lookup dvdburn.exe and cdburn.exe I am not sure, but cdburn.exe was also available in windows98...
Caboose
May 25, 2011 at 9:00am
proprietary disc format? You mean WinFS? That'd be a file system. Disc Format would be more along the lines of Blu-Ray, HD-DVD, CD, SACD, etc. and I'd be very surprised if WinFS actually sees the light of day in Win8.
ISO Burning though is built in to the OS and isn't a 3rd party add-on. That's like saying that DVD movie playback has always been an option since Win98 (when using $app)
pyrilampes
May 25, 2011 at 11:07am
Still Propriety and probably not compatible with other systems out of the gate.
Actually there are two ways to say it... Mine is just better.
Disc format could be a file system, or it could be a string(not very usefull)
Just to let you know, once you put partitions on a disc, you have to "Format" the Disc. Hence a disc format.
listing the other formats of discs is educational as well as way off the point.
ISO Burning was not a third party add-on, but a Microsoft supplied tool for the OS that was not released for unspecified reasons. And Playing a video codec has nothing to do with writing files to a disc but playing the files stored on the disc.
cprtnic
March 11, 2012 at 8:13pm
No sir. WinFS would definitely be a file system for a DISK, not a Disc. Disc format is DVD, CD, Blu-Ray, etc.
NeroCafe
May 23, 2011 at 2:26pm
NOOOO! Not MORE of this Genuine Advantage crap! it has sneaked into my system twice, and said that I don't have a legal compy of Windows, which I DO, and I then have to remove it. It's so ANNOYING!!!
Caboose
May 24, 2011 at 8:52am
Have you contacted Microsoft? If you are using a legit copy, contact Microsoft and get it cleared up. Its not rocket surgery! Instead of bitching and complaining about it, actually do something to get it resolved!
Yeesh!
tylerjgarland
May 21, 2011 at 5:32pm
I still find it funny for the facial recognition login feature. Now I can hold a photo of someone I dislike, login to their system and wreak havok.
frizzly
July 25, 2011 at 10:05pm
with touch screens becomeing more common, I would rather see finger print analysis for logins
tonymus
May 21, 2011 at 8:26am
Good article, thanks for the heads up!
As a business user, I think the Modern Reader might save me from buying Adobe Acrobat Standard for my computers (yes, I know it probably won't write files, but Reader has enough issues, including security ones, for me to want to use Standard). The full system restore might be interesting, also.
But, if Microsoft wants to make Windows exciting again, they really need to take a look at their software. Their home user software is lacking the "juice" of Apple's offerings. They need to get out more games (Flight would be a good start), make iLife-style programs available from their app store, and come up with new uses for their computers so users don't become bored with them and move onto slates or phones (iOS, especially). And, why does Microsoft consistently let itself get out-marketed by Apple?
A new OS is nice but, from a user's standpoint, it doesn't DO anything...
Caboose
May 24, 2011 at 8:54am
So you'd rather spend a few hundred dollars on Acrobat Standard instead of using one of the other multitude of free PDF readers out there?
Remind me to never take financial advise from you ever!
steve771
May 20, 2011 at 8:03pm
Here's another thing to know (like you didn't?). It's another M$ money grab!
Hey, M$ operating systems are like Star Trek movies... only every other one is worth anything.
Caboose
May 24, 2011 at 8:45am
Really? You're spelling Microsoft with a dollar sign? Did the supposed Rapture take us back to 2001 or something?
tonychow70
May 20, 2011 at 12:06am
There is one thing I really want Windows 8 include: total uninstall.
In most time, when we uninstall some app from Windows, there were lots of leftover folders, files, registry keys, sometime devices and drivers. Even Revo can't 100% make them clean. So I want Microsoft can add a feature maybe call: Installation monitor, that can monitor all the apps installation, and when I don't want use them anymore, this monitor can notified me after uninstall, which leftover files and registry keys or the other thing belong to this app and I can safely remove them.
Kaze
May 19, 2011 at 4:45pm
What I want in Windows 8 is:
1) Native Multiple Desktops like Mac OS and Gnome/KDE/LXFE etc have had for years.
2) A better user account management system, meanining that the administrator can totally control who sees what and when. It should be easy to determine what goes into the default user profile on which all limited users are built, plus it should be easy to *hide* drives or folders that the limited user should not have access to (should not even see that they exist, let alone interact with them in any way.
3) Easier skinning of the entire OS. Adding stuff like logonscreen customization, wallpaper customization per desktop, placement of start bar per desktop etc. should all be elegantly and natively implemented.
4) Move the Users folder painlessly. I don't want my users folder on my SSD, I want it on my 4TB Raid10 partition. This should be easily done with no need for any simlinks and whatever. My SSD should remain for programs and programs only, and I should be able to do this without any hassle, and specially without having to specify each and every folder manually which is both idiotic and, more importantly, time consuming.
That's it really. I don't want nor need any of the other crap.
aarcane
May 19, 2011 at 1:24pm
Hey, they're finally figured out that we want to be able to change our product key sometimes. you know, like when we accidentally use our dumb brother's generated key instead of our legit key, both of which are stored on the network in a file called "keys.txt" in different folders. yeah, that's why we want to change keys.
What I really want is per-user licensing, as well as per-system licensing. I want to be able to buy a copy, and use it on any system I own, so long as it's for my own use. Household systems shared by many users, should still get the per-system licensing. I'd also like an account through microsoft that I can sign in to to activate my windows 8 on my new system automatically. That'd be nice. Or at least some good family-friendly volume licensing. our house has ten people in it, and just as many computers all of which need windows and office, many of which are running xp or vista, because volume licensing is too expensive.
frizzly
July 25, 2011 at 10:18pm
how about getting some flash drives and setting up multiple virtual enviroments then booting each computer with a flash drive. then all you have to do in instal and save your programes and files on the computers HD. now you have multiple installs from one copy. by definition this would be within the EULA becouse you only installed it once and used the software in its intended fasion. 8-)
TommM
May 19, 2011 at 11:25am
With the exception of the System Reset option, I don't see a thing here that I need to have or even want. Especially the damn ribbon menu system which I detest as well as most of my tech friends do too. Unless some other unbelievable, must-have addition comes through, looks like I'll be hanging on to Win7 for a long, long time.
Forte125
May 19, 2011 at 11:23am
I wouldn't put money on integrated cloud storage. Microsoft sells so many licensces of Windows that the amound of data they would need to provide is massive. Hopefully they will include some new API's that allow third parties like Dropbox to provide more integrated cloud syncing.
CPPCrispy
May 19, 2011 at 10:45am
What I would want in Windows 8 is the ability for Windows to read and write to other file systems such as ext3.
ThomFrost
May 19, 2011 at 10:17am
i dont know from what i have seen and heard from here and other places not sure i will switch to win8 when it comes out. this may change when it comes out and i can play with it a bit at the store.
i still say that microsoft is being stupid by putting all this stuff in windows. a os is suppose to get you to what you want to do and then get out of the way. more and more microsoft seems to want to involve its os in every part of everything i do. microsoft has this stupid me too thing going. they look at osx and linux and see all the extras included and say me too. osx and linux has to put this stuf in so people will see the value of installing the os. all this junk that microsoft puts in windows is just more vulnerability that hackers and viruses can exploit, and more code that has to be maintained.
all this bloat is why microsoft got caught with their paints down with netbook and now tablets. if windows wasn't so bloated they could had with a few changes port it over to the new tablet systems.
let apple pretty up their os and put all the junk on it just let me do what i want to do and just get out of my way.
Caboose
May 19, 2011 at 2:28pm
The thing is though, Apple includes features x, y and z but Microsoft doesn't. Then when it comes time for someone to buy a computer and they compare the two, and see that OSX has features x, y and z and Windows doesn't, and said user would use those features, that could be a deal breaker for some. This way though, you have to install less stuff to be able to do what you want. I'd rather not have to install a PDF reader, or Virtual CloneDrive. I'm happy that I don't need a large disc writing app anymore w/Win7 and use ImgBurn for 80% of my disc writing (15% is the windows utility and the last 5% is Nero 9).
