14 DAY TRIAL // The first demonstration of Windows 8 is bound to have been a bittersweet moment for many.
Those that remember the first sneak peek at Windows 7, undoubtedly also recall a similar feeling. Back in May 2008, Microsoft demoed the new multi-touch capabilities of Windows 7, giving a taste of the platform’s Natural User Interface (NUI) evolution.
The Windows 7 front remained quiet until later that year, when Steven Sinofsky, president, Microsoft Windows and Windows Live Division started sharing additional details of the upcoming operating system.
In case you weren’t paying attention, something similar happened at CES 2011, with the announcement of support for System on a Chip (SoC) architectures with the next version of Windows.
“What we showed [on January 5th] was a technology preview of how Windows can adapt to run on SoC architectures.
“We are making this announcement now to enable our silicon partners, including new ARM partners, to collaborate across the ecosystem to bring innovation to market with the next version of Windows.
“We’re hard at work on all the aspects of the next version of Windows and we’ll share more information when the time is right,” Sinofsky promised.
The last part of this comment is a hint that the software giant is preparing to share additional details about the next major iteration of Windows with the public.
Don’t expect this to happen in the next few months however, but make no mistake about the fact that additional Windows 8 info is coming this year.
After all, there is so much more of Windows 8 that we don’t know, so there’s plenty for Microsoft to tell the world.
The “demonstration represents the first showing of the next release of Windows. We know many of our most enthusiastic supporters are interested in learning more about the user interface, programming APIs, and other new features to come in Windows.
“The announcement [on January 5th] is just the start of our dialog with a broad community around Windows and, as with Windows 7, we will be engaging in the broadest pre-release program of any operating system. So there is a lot more to come,” Sinofsky said. (emphasis added)