Building Windows 8

Microsoft has released some first looks at the new Windows 8 operating system.

Some highlights:

• I love that the design studio walls are covered with design artifacts. Keeping these artifacts visible facilitates a shared knowledge of all design concepts and directions amongst the team.
• The new touch interface look interesting. I like that they are doing something different than Apple. We will see if it is as easy to use and effective.
• The "thumbs" keyboard for tablets is a cool feature. Instead of having a keyboard that fills half of a tablet screen, it has a smaller split keyboard that appears on the left and right of the screen where the user can type with their thumbs. This save screen real estate and provides a way to actually hold the tablet in your hands while typing with two hands.
• Windows 8 will be a single platform for all desktops, laptops, and tablets. There is no mention of mobile phones, but it looks like the touch interface borrows a lot from Windows Mobile 7.

Check it out:

Comments

[Larry King]

John Gruber's ideas for why Windows 8 is fundamentally flawed. Basic premise: Windows 8 is just Windows with a touchscreen interface. iOS is successful because it isn't OS X.
http://daringfireball.net/2011/06/windows_8_fundamentally_flawed

[Sean]

Sweet