Earlier today, Microsoft announced the availability to consumers of its highly anticipated and very risky Windows 8. If you have not heard, Windows 8 is Microsoft’s attempt to bring multiple devices under one operating system. We have seen similar steps made in Apple’s OSX with the inclusion of iOS app experiences in Lion and the upcoming Mountain Lion. Android has also made strides in bringing its fragmented devices under one OS, Ice Cream Sandwhich.
Microsoft’s plan has taken more time and as a result, Windows 8 is the first OS where we see all devices, with the exception of smartphones, falling under one OS. Of course, there will be a slightly different Windows 8 for ARM devices, but the underlying code is essentially the same. Without going in to much detail, some of the enhancements we can find in Windows 8 Consumer Preview are:
- Semantic Zoom
- Notifications
- Switcher
- Microsoft account integration
- Skydrive integration
- Consistent Charms access
- Start preview thumbnail
- Start screen improvements
- Improved Metro style apps
- New app previews
- Internet Explorer 10
- System-wide spellchecking
These are just a handful of the improvements Microsoft has made to Windows 8 since the developer preview. We plan on going into much more detail about what these new features/improvements bring to the end user in an upcoming review. For now, you can try the Windows 8 Consumer Preview by following this link:
