14 DAY TRIAL // This fall, Microsoft will bring to the market a new version of its popular Windows platform, one that has been optimized for use on touch-enabled devices, namely Windows 8.
The company is reportedly working on various flavors of the platform, so as to make sure that it can deliver to users’ needs regardless of their location or profession.
Thus, the company will bring a special flavor of Windows 8 to shelves in China, the latest reports on the matter suggest.
This “Windows 8 for China” version of the platform will arrive on shelves as a cheaper OS flavor, most probably aimed at ensuring that there will be no counterfeit variant copies brought to shelves, a recent article on WinUnleaked reads.
Apparently, this Windows 8 iteration won’t be installed unless it is accompanied by the Chinese ISO. If installed with the English ISO, a Blue Screen of Death Reading “bad MUI” appears.
The screenshots that leaked with this Windows 8 SKU show that there are no pre-pinned applications in the taskbar (the English version came with Internet Explorer 10 and Windows Explorer pinned to the taskbar right from the start).
Additionally, it appears that the LPKSetup will still be present on this SKU, which means that users might be able to install other Language Packs as well.
The Chinese SKU of Windows 8 won’t arrive with too many visible changes from other versions of the operating system, and won’t pack the Media Center either.
Provided that Microsoft is indeed planning the release of a special flavor of Windows 8 for the Chinese market, it appears that the company is adopting a similar approach as for Windows Phone with the upcoming platform.
This week, the company’s mobile OS was launched in China on Nokia Lumia devices, with features and content designed specifically for users in this market.
Considering the fact that the tablet PC segment is shaping up as a standalone market and that Windows 8 will be heavily optimized for this area, it does not come as a surprise that the comapny is working on a Chinese flavor of the OS.
For the time being, however, Microsoft did not offer specific info on the different Windows 8 SKUs that will land on the market in late 2012.
