14 DAY TRIAL // 2011 is just around the corner, and expectations of Microsoft could not be higher for next year, especially those related to its flagship product, the Windows platform.
The Redmond company has yet to confirm any details officially, but speculation indicates that it is gearing up to serve the first taste of Windows 8 and a new flavor of Windows tailored to slates in early 2011.
Of course, as far as the technology world is concerned each January brings with it a new edition of the Consumer Electronics Show, an event in which various companies, Microsoft included, traditionally deliver sneak peeks at their plans for the future.
There is already talk of an entirely new version of Windows, one adapted to ARM chipsets.
The software giant is reportedly preparing to announce the new Windows designed for thin and light machines at CES 2011, signaling the impending evolution of today’s devices, including Tablet PCs, or slates, as the company refers to them.
It appears that this flavor of the Windows platform won’t be ready for another couple of year, and that CES 2011 will only bring with it a very early preview.
But before it will port its operating system to ARM chipsets, the Redmond company is said to also offer a preview of Windows 8, or Windows vNext.
There are voices claiming that Windows 8 might make an appearance at CES 2011 as well, and fact of the matter is that it would be right about time.
Sources close to Microsoft reveal that the development process of Windows 7 has moved past Milestone 1, with the platform now in M2 and heading to M3.
Judging by the schedule of Windows 7, Windows 8 could graduate into Beta after M3, and this could mean that between mid-2011 and the end of the year, early adopters will have started testing the next iteration of Windows.
Select testers close to Microsoft are already in on the company’s plans for Windows 8, with some of the software giant’s employees dogfooding the OS, but 2011 is bound to bring the platform to a much broader audience.