Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer dropped the Windows 8 bomb at the Microsoft Developer Forum, Tokyo, Japan on May 23, 2011.
Why all the fuss? Well, mainly because of the manner in which the Redmond company has dealt with details of Windows vNext.
And the software giant has been adamant on calling the successor of Windows 7 either Windows Next or Windows vNext, trying to steer clear of the Windows 8 moniker altogether.
On several occasions when talking with folks from Microsoft, I received answers in the line of “Windows 8? What’s that?” with a twist of humor on their part.
This despite the fact that Microsoft representatives, employees, etc. have also been using the Windows 8 label on a variety of occasions, even as early as 2009.
The obvious question is now whether Ballmer just confirmed Windows 8 as the official moniker for Windows vNext, or if the mention was just a slip of the tongue.
There’s still a chance that the software giant could come up with a fresh brand for the next major iteration of Windows, and not use Windows 8 at all.
Microsoft’s CEO also talked about what’s next for Windows:
“We're obviously hard at work on the next version of Windows. Windows 7 PCs will sell over 350 million units this year. We've done a lot in Windows 7 to improve customer satisfaction. We have a brand new user interface. We've added touch, and ink, and speech,” he said.
“And yet, as we look forward to the next generation of Windows systems, which will come out next year, there's a whole lot more coming. As we progress through the year, you ought to expect to hear a lot about Windows 8. Windows 8 slates, tablets, PCs, a variety of different form factors.”
Some reports have interpreted Ballmer’s words to confirm that Windows 8 is coming in 2012.
Although this is most likely the case, the CEO was in fact talking about next generation Windows systems, and not Windows 8 systems.
Obviously, computer manufacturers around the world will launch next gen offerings in the immediate future as well through the end of 2011 and in 2012. These might very well be capable of playing nice with Windows 8, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that they will indeed be tailored to it and not to its predecessor.
But what’s interesting is that Ballmer reveals that Microsoft is about ready to start the discussion of Windows 8.
More details are to be expected by the end of 2011, and I don’t think for a minute that these words “Windows 8 slates, tablets, PCs, a variety of different form factors” were random.
Windows is still king on PCs, netbooks and notebooks, but the same is not the case when it comes to slates, tablets and other emerging form factors.
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