14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 8 is at that stage in its development process when there are more questions than answers associated with the operating system.
But by all means, don’t expect any answers from Microsoft anytime soon. In fact, the company might only open up on the successor of Windows 7 starting with mid-2011, when various third-party sources indicate that a first Beta of the platform will be released.
This is of course of little actual comfort to users that thirst for any crumbs from Microsoft’s Windows 8 feast.
Putting together wish lists is a therapeutic reaction to the frustration generated by the software giant’s silence on what the future holds for the evolution of the Windows client.
A poll was kicked off by a range of blogs recently, including Within Windows, aimed at getting some feedback from customers as to what aspects of Windows 8 need to be kicked up a notch with the next major version of Windows.
Within Windows’ Rafael Rivera even noted that a tipster with some inside information sent over logo which is close to what Microsoft is using for Windows 8, and that somewhat confirmed the fact that Microsoft is focusing on a few items when discussing the evolution of Windows.
It’s yet uncertain what Windows 8 will bring to the table exactly. Some items are certainly right at home on any wish list, such as a redesign of the graphical user interface (UI), simplification of the Windows restore process, better performance, enhanced security features, faster start-up and shutdown, increased compatibility, better UX, etc.
Others, such as modularization, bare-metal hypervisor functionality, virtualization, Cloud APIs, etc. are certainly geared toward a more professional audience, and mean little to end users.
But don’t believe for a second that Microsoft is not watching. The company noted time and again that it processed huge amounts of user feedback to perfect Windows 7.
So, the best thing for customers is too keep their input flowing, by any means. They might just see elements on their wish list become reality.
In this context, I’m curious, what are you expecting out of Windows 8?