Microsoft Launches Test Version Of Windows 8
BARCELONA (Dow Jones)--Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) on Wednesday launched a consumer test version of its new Windows 8, one more step toward introduction of a tablet-friendly operating system this year.Microsoft has made more than 100,000 code changes to the operating system since the developer preview of Windows 8 was launched in September 2011, the company said. Computers running
Windows 8 can be controlled by touch, as well as conventional keyboards and mice, making the operating system the first designed to work on a spectrum of devices, including PCs, tablet computers and ultrabooks, a new generation of lightweight laptops.
The home screen of Windows 8 is composed of boldly colored tiles that group together similar software to replace icons that are scattered on other Windows home screens. The system includes cloud storage that allows users to save work and link to email, calendars and contacts from a smartphone running a Windows operating system or a PC.
Applications on Windows 8 can share data across the cloud with other users, lowering barriers to collaboration, the company said. To save battery life, idle applications sleep but can be awakened in moments.
"We set out to build Windows in a new way," said Steve Sinofsky, head of the Windows division, during the introduction at the Mobile World congress in Barcelona. The goal was to create "the ability to have a wide variety of price points, the ability to go from consumer to professional and bringing this diversity to over one billion customers," he said.
Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft isn't expected to commercially release Windows 8--the most dramatic overhaul of its OS since Windows 95 16 years ago--until late this year. The operating system is the software company's long-awaited response to the fast-growing tablet market, which is dominated by Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) iPad. Microsoft also faces competition from Google Inc.'s (GOOG) Android software, which powers a host of competing tablets.
Creation of an ecosystem of popular applications and services has boosted Apple and Google's mobile strategies, and Microsoft disclosed similar ambitions.
"As we talk about Windows 8 and Windows Phone, I think what you will see is a lot of the connection across these screens is services, gaming, music, productivity," said Terry Myerson, Microsoft's vice president of phone engineering in separate remarks in Barcelona.
The software has drawn attention for the dramatic changes to the Windows user interface, which was originally used in Microsoft's mobile operating system, Windows Phone 7. Mike Angiulo, who heads
Windows planning at Microsoft, said in a Barcelona interview that older versions of Windows were designed for a time when people mostly used computers to make files.
"Now people are primarily using computers to browse the Web," he said. "We have re-imagined the PC for what people do with computers today."
Microsoft displayed the operating system running on an 82-inch touch screen, as well on a range of tablets, desktop computers and laptops. Sinofsky said the company has worked hard to make the operating system smaller, so it can run on light processor tablets and can boot faster.
"The product had a very good fit and finish," said Rick Sherlund of Nomura Securities in an interview from Barcelona. The operating system worked smoothly whether controlled by keyboard, mouse or touchscreen, he said.
Sherlund also said Windows 8 offered speedy connections with cloud storage. Windows 8 devices save content to remote servers automatically, making backup and document sharing effortless.
"This whole workgroup and collaboration aspect through the cloud is a big part of the utility of Windows 8," he said.
Analysts said Microsoft could find a market with corporate users, which could make up as much as 70% of the mobile market in coming years.
"The whole enterprise tablet market is still up for grabs and that's what Windows 8 is aimed at," said Colin Gillis of BGC Partners.
Windows 8 will also reduce Microsoft's dependence on its 30-year partnership with Intel Corp. (INTC). Instead, the operating system will support ARM processors, designed by ARM Holdings PLC (ARMH, ARM.LN), which are used in virtually all tablet computers and smartphones, in addition to the previously supported x86 microprocessors from Intel and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD).
Microsoft hopes that working with ARM-based chip makers such as Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM), Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) and Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN), will help it to capture share in the market for mobile devices.
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