Hasta La Gadget!

We’re not going to lie, Microsoft’s news on the tablet front here at CES has been quite a disappointment. While it teased that it’s working on “the next version of Windows” for ARM, it didn’t talk about its plans for a tablet-based OS at all. It’s been Windows 7 and more Windows 7. And according to CNET, we’re not the only ones that want Microsoft to show some movement on the tablet UI front — Intel has been pushing Microsoft for a long time. In addition, Intel’s marketing chief Tom Kilroy seemed to imply that Microsoft’s tablet solution is still a ways off. Now, of course, Microsoft seems to be moving away from Intel and starting to work on some flavor of Windows for ARM chips, and perhaps related to that, ZDNet’s Microsoft maven Mary Jo Foley has heard quite a bit about a new “application model” for Windows 8 called Jupiter. Foley has heard that Microsoft is working on a new XAML user interface for Win 8, which will support “smoother animation,” more media capabilities, and “immersive apps.” It will also be lightweight, and thus, ideal for tablets or slates. Microsoft’s Vice President of Microsoft’s Developer Division Soma Somasegar actually seemed to confirm the project to Foley, but claims it has changed directions quite a bit. So, what does this all mean? In sum, Microsoft’s in no better position on the tablet front than it was a few weeks or months ago. And the wait continues…

Intel’s been wishin’ and hopin’ for a Microsoft tablet OS, Windows 8 rumors recommence originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 16:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know Windows CE jibes with ARM-based architecture, but full-blown Windows? Looks like everyone and their respective mothers today — to be specific, Bloomberg, AllThingsD, and the Wall Street Journal — are reporting “sources” that claim Microsoft is set to announce Windows compatibility with ARM chips, which currently rule the roost in the mobile and embedded scenes, and more importantly dominate the tablet market. So yeah, we get the need for such a merge, and it’d really put Microsoft in a smart position for lower-power devices, but here’s the catch: the products aren’t expected for some time — two years according to WSJ — as drivers need to be written for the hardware.

Then again, this may all be for nothing. Cue another well-connected Microsoft reporter, ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, who has a decidedly tamer prediction: a new Windows CE / Embedded Contact — you’ll remember we saw it running on a Tegra 2 tablet back at Computex — and maybe ARM support for Windows 8 (or Windows 8 “Lite”). In other words, no one has a clear, 100 percent idea of what to expect in January, so as we say, just stay tuned.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Microsoft to announce ARM-based Windows at CES? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 22:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When will Microsoft bring Windows 8 to market? 2012’s looking like a safe bet — not only was it slated for that date in an allegedly leaked product roadmap, but Microsoft Netherlands hints that the OS is just two years away. Buried at the bottom of a press release celebrating the first birthday of Windows 7, you’ll find the above Dutch phrase, which Google Translate returns as “Furthermore, Microsoft is of course the next version of Windows. But it will take about two years before “Windows 8″ on the market.” There are certainly plenty of reasons why Microsoft’s riskiest product bet might not hit its target date, but the machine translation seems clear. Here’s hoping the OS will ship with some suitably futuristic hardware.

Windows 8 about two years away, according to Microsoft Netherlands originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 Oct 2010 19:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A purportedly leaked slideshow reveals what may be Microsoft’s game plan for Windows 8. Giving a strong nod to Apple, highlight features teased in the presentation include a Windows app store and instant-on bootup.

Italian Windows blog Windowsette posted the presentation watermarked “Microsoft Confidential.” One slide explicitly mentions Apple’s consumer strategy: a high-quality, easy-to-use user interface that feeds brand loyalty.

“Apple brand is known for high quality, uncomplicated, ‘It just works,’” a slide reads (see above). “This is something people will pay for!”

Microsoft declined to comment on the presentation’s authenticity.

Though the unconfirmed slides explicitly mention Apple’s strategy, Microsoft is still far ahead of the Cupertino, California company in the desktop OS space. Research firms estimate that Windows dominates over 90 percent of the desktop OS market share. Additionally, Microsoft recently announced it sold 150 million licenses of Windows 7 in eight months.

If real, the presentation would suggest that a key part of Microsoft’s strategy to secure its lead with Windows is to replicate Apple’s successful App Store model. One slide (below) reveals plans for Windows 8 to introduce “Windows Store,” an app store for purchasing and downloading Windows applications.

The slides also allude to a one-second bootup reminiscent of the iPad’s instant-on capability.

“Windows 8 PCs turn on fast, nearly instantly in some cases, and are ready to work without any long or unexpected delays,” one slide says.

Windows enthusiast blog Microsoft Kitchen has collected all the slides and believes they are “the real deal.” For a blow-by-blow analysis, visit Stephen Chapman’s writeup.

See Also:

• Microsoft Gives Windows 7 Fans the Option to Ditch IE 8 …
• 7 Good Reasons to Switch to Windows 7
• 7 Reasons to Avoid Windows 7

Ah, the tormented life of a Microsoft employee. You spend a few years of your life nurturing a product, teaching it some new tricks, and before you know it you have to release it into the wild and start all over again. Coincidentally, Microsoft also seems to do a lot of hiring during that tumultuous switchover period, and its latest round of job postings have offered a few clues as to what we can expect in Windows 8, and when the company plans to focus on it in earnest. That will apparently happen at the start of the company’s 2011 fiscal year, which translates to July, 2010 for everyone else. As for Windows 8 itself, it seems that Microsoft is particularly interested in finding a few folks to work on how Windows Update works in the latest iteration of the OS, including things third-party application updating, updating virtual machines when they’re turned off, and delivery of full applications — Windows 8 Server and a “new UX framework” also garnered a brief mention. Hit up the link below for some additional details, and links to the actual postings if you happen to be looking for a job.

Microsoft shifting internal focus to Windows 8 in July 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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