The launch event is happening live, now. We will report the biggest news here as the event goes on.
Key Points:
- Windows 8 goes live at 12:01am.
- Windows 8 has gone through 1.24 billion hours of external testing worldwide… No other operating system has this kind of testing.
- All new PC’s and upgrades will come with a simple “How To”
- Fully capable Windows 8 PCs starting under $300
- New Ultrabooks announced
- Grand Opening of new app store has more apps than any other competitors initial launch day
- Windows RT supports over 420 million existing devices: mice, keyboards, printers, etc.
Up on stage now, with product demonstrations are Mike Angiulo and Julie Larson-Green.
- They started with Windows 7 hardware running Windows 8
- First device was the Samsung Slate that we have become familiar with
- They are demonstrating customizing the lock screen and backgrounds for the tile UI
- Windows 7 Lenovo Thinkpad Carbon X1 boots 33% faster with Windows 8
- All the applications and functionality that you are familiar with in Windows 7 is still there in Windows 8
- You can save files directly to SkyDrive from within programs like Office 2013
- Now showing 2 Nokia Windows Phone 8 devices
- On to a Lenovo Windows 8 Tablet with 10 hours of battery running on an Atom processor
- Windows 8 WiFi reconnect now takes 1 second as compared to 10 seconds with Windows 7
- Showing Dell’s new XPS with a 27″ 2560×1440 touch screen All-in-One
- Demonstration of Windows 8 and the new Windows Store with one-click install of new apps
- Both are introducing new Windows RT devices from Dell, Samsung, Lenovo and ASUS
- The ASUS Windows RT tablet is 8.8mm thin with 4G from AT&T
Now on stage is Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer.
- Steve summarized all we have seen so far
- Emphazing touch and Windows 8
- Affoardable devices and spectacular high end devices
- All devices running Windows 8 or RT are tablets and PCs… one operating system to rule them all…
- Out of the box, Bing apps will help bring information to you including: Bing News, Finance, Travel, Maps, Weather, Sports
- Integrated Skype
- Xbox Music
- Xbox and the Smart Glass experience will allow you to control your home theater environment from your Windows 8/RT tablet
- Windows Phone 8 uses and accesses all the same information and accounts
- More info on WP8 on Monday
- 670,000,000 PCs available to upgrade to Windows 8
- 400,000,000 new PC sales annually
- One app will run on all PC form factors
- Windows 8 brings work and play together in one amazing device/OS
That is everything covered in today’s launch event. There is an upcoming Surface Webcast that you can watch at the live link found below which begins at 10:30am PT.
