Windows 8 Packaging retail box revealed

A lot of people, including yours truly, have been vocal about their disdain for Microsoft’s new look. Sure, the simplistic look works, but it just doesn’t feel like Windows anymore. For those who feel like Microsoft is abandoning the classic Windows design, the packaging isn’t going to change your mind.

The Verge got an exclusive sneak peek at the packaging that you’ll see on store shelves when Windows 8 launches on October 26. While there’s something to be said about good design, it just feels a little too colorful and fun. I’ve always associated Windows with business and enterprise, not the consumer market.

Of course, this is a new direction for Microsoft and the design change was needed. Windows 8 is all about taking on the consumer market and kicking the post-PC era into high gear. While you can use Windows 8 on desktops, Microsoft is definitely hoping to become a leader in the tablet arena with the Surface tablet.

Putting my old man persona aside, I can definitely see the new Windows 8 packaging attracting the young people who like spiffy designs. I mean, just look at the Windows 7 packaging:


That packaging doesn’t look fun at all. I like it because it’s classic Windows, but we’ve already established that I’m the equivalent of an 80-year old man when it comes to Windows design. I’m resistant to change and that’s fine. It’s good to see that Microsoft has not become an old man with me. They’re willingness to change and put such a huge bet on tablets is going to make or break the company in the next few years.

It might seem weird to draw this much from just some simple packaging, but art really does say it all. The new packaging is a window into a crazy new world that’s entirely foreign to me. Besides, if Windows 8 fails, we can at least put the packaging up in some modern art museum.

Source: webpronews.com

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Microsoft confirms Windows 8 will launch this October

Microsoft has announced that Windows 8 will be released by the end of October.

The firm made the announcement at its Worldwide Developer Conference in Toronto today. October was the long rumoured date for the launch and has been confirmed by Windows chief marketing officer and chief financial officer Tami Reller.

"For the first time, we provided details on Windows 8 availability. Tami confirmed that Windows 8 is on track to Release to Manufacturing (RTM) the first week of August." said the Windows Blog.

Windows 8 will be available in 109 languages across 231 markets worldwide, according to Reller. Consumers will be available to purchase Window 8 PCs, laptops and tablets from October as well as upgrade from Windows 7.

Microsoft announced that Windows 8 will cost $39 for XP, Vista and Windows 7 users. However, if you buy a new Windows 7 machine the Windows Upgrade Offer allows you to upgrade for $14.

The software giant said that it has sold more than 630 million licenses for Windows 7 to date. "For enterprise customers with Software Assurance benefits, they will have full access to Windows 8 bits as early as August." Added Microsoft.

Developers making Windows 8 apps will be able to start making money from their work once the OS hits RTM as this is when the commerce platform will be switched on.

Source: pcadvisor.co.uk

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Ivy Bridge MacBook Pro 2012: “beats” Mac OS X Mountain Lion

Ahead of its possible June or July release date, Apple’s upcoming Mac OS X Mountain Lion is not the “much anticipated” feature of the new MacBook Pro, says the new poll. Intel’s Ivy Bridge Processors takes spotlight.

Sorry software fans, but Intel’s Ivy Bridge processor is reportedly the star of the next MacBook Pro, whether you like it or not.

According to MacWorld Australia’s unscientific poll, Intel’s new chipsets leads the unofficial popularity race of the rumored MacBook Pro features. With nearly 40 per cent of the poll’s respondents, it shows that customers are waiting for the new laptops because of Intel’s processors which are not “exclusives,” and are also present in other ecosystems, like the upcoming Windows 8 for example.

Apple’s software with the combination of the quad-core Intel chips could be the reason behind the landslide victory in the small poll, and apparently, the hardware, especially the processor, affects the overall performance of the desktop’s user interface.

One of the models of the new MacBook Pro is expected to include Intel’s Ivy Bridge Core i7-3820QM quad-core running at 2.7GHz, based on a leaked benchmark results.

According to BBC News, quoting an industry analyst, Intel will continue to lead the processor race. With the help of upcoming Windows 7 and 8 PC and laptops, and the possible MacBook Pro 2012, Intel will reportedly maintaining its slow growth until the release of its next-gen chipset, Haswell.

This year, Apple is expected to compete with at least a dozen new Windows laptop computers and ultrabooks with Intel’s chips, but according to the poll, at least 10 per cent of respondents are hoping for a bigger battery.

The most popular MacBook Pro rumor available online is the MacBook Air-like design rumor, reportedly without the optical drive, with a larger solid state drive, and possibly with the bigger battery, and 6.5 per cent of the poll participants said they want to see “that kind” of MacBook Pro, and if the rumor is correct, then the next-generation MacBook Pro laptops could be the lightest of its kind ever, beating previous versions that offered the large and heavy optical drive.

Liquidmetal, the rumored technology of the upcoming computers, is also a popular feature, the new poll revealed. However, some experts believe that this year’s MacBook Pros will not include Liquidmetal technologies on its cases.

Surprisingly, at least for me, is the lack of anticipation on the next version of the Mac OS X, the Mountain Lion. Apple is expected to distribute the new software with iOS-like features via its Mac App Store beginning this summer, and if the new MacBook Pro will hit stores next month, then it is expected to ship with the new OS X 10.8 pre-installed.

One analyst told a stock market-centric news agency this month that Q2, or the second quarter of this year, is the Mac-quarter and the next line of Apple laptops will attract more customers than other PCs running the open platform Windows. But next quarter, Apple will face rivals with Redmond’s new operating system, Windows 8, an OS that is trying to hit two birds using one stone–the two birds: the Mac and the iPad.

I should note that iPad is attracting more customers than MacBook Pros, and the price and portability of the tablet PC drive sales, says experts. Also last quarter, the new iPad 3 introduced LTE or Long Term Evolution making it the first Apple product with such feature that offers faster data uploads and downloads. One analyst said the 4G LTE, at least in the United States, was the product’s key feature.

So, what will be the key feature of the new MacBook Pro?

Source: Popherald

Tags: Apple, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, OS, X Mountain Lion, Ivy Bridge, Laptop

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PC makers mum on Windows 8 upgrades

The first wave of laptops with Intel's latest third-generation Core processors started shipping this week with Windows 7, but PC makers are quiet about what it would take to upgrade the PCs to run Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8.

The Windows 8 OS is due to come out later this year, though Microsoft has not provided a specific release date. Analysts have said that Windows 8 may come out around October, and a consumer preview version of the OS is already available for download.

Dell is currently unable to disclose what Windows 8 upgrades would entail on any of the company's hardware, according to a spokeswoman. The company is not allowed to disclose any information due to a non-disclosure agreement with Microsoft. Samsung, which also released a new laptop this week, did not respond to requests for comment. Acer, which released a desktop last week, said it could not comment on the topic at this time.

Microsoft is declining comment on Windows 8 upgrade paths for now, but the company will "have more to share at a later time," a company spokesman said in an email. Microsoft plans to release multiple versions of the new OS, including Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro for x86 PCs and tablets, and Windows RT for ARM-based devices.

Microsoft did not support direct upgrades to Windows 7 from Windows XP, which attracted criticism as it required users to backup data and reload programs. Upgrades to Windows 7 were also constrained on Windows Vista, limited to only specific versions of the OS.

PC makers usually launch new laptops when new chips are released by Intel or Advanced Micro Devices. The new laptops that shipped this week included Dell's Alienware gaming laptops, which start at US$1,099, and Samsung's Series 7 Gamer laptop, which starts at $1,899. The new laptops have Intel's high-end Core i5 and Core i7 processors, which are based on the newest Ivy Bridge microarchitecture. The new chips deliver around 15 to 20 percent CPU performance improvement and up to two times better 3D graphics than the second-generation Core processors based on the Sandy Bridge microarchitecture.

Hundreds of lower-priced mainstream laptops with Intel's Ivy Bridge processors are expected to start shipping in June. Intel's rival Advanced Micro Devices said that new laptops priced starting at around $500 with its latest chips code-named Trinity will start shipping this quarter. The laptops will ship with Windows 7 until Windows 8 is released.

Microsoft may come forward with details on some program which would allow customers to buy Windows 7 with upgrades to Windows 8 perhaps by June or July, when laptops start shipping for the back-to-school buyers, said Nathan Brookwood, principal analyst at Insight 64.

"[Microsoft] is fairly sensitive to the issue of stalling the market," Brookwood said. "I suspect the issues of getting access to an upgrade of Windows 8 at the cost of, say, a CD will go away pretty soon."

The question of upgrading a PC to Windows 8 is complicated and will be different for those who want touch capability and for those who don't, Brookwood said.

Windows 8 has a touch interface, and the mainstream laptops released for the next couple of months may not have touchscreens. Buyers may wait for Windows 8 tablets or new ultrabooks with touchscreens, which could appear around the time of the Windows 8 release.

Initial touch-enabled laptops and tablets could be priced at a premium, Brookwood said. Budget buyers may have to wait even longer for prices to drop to get Windows 8.

Windows 8 will also work on devices with ARM processors, which usually go into tablets and smartphones. Users could buy ARM-based laptops or tablets, and Windows RT will come with Microsoft's Office 15 software, which could attract some buyers. Software running on Windows 8 on x86 and Windows RT for ARM may be incompatible as the operating systems are designed to run on different instruction sets.

"If you are going back to school and you don't have a huge commitment of running legacy applications, then Windows RT may be interesting," Brookwood said.

Tags: Windows 8, OS, Latest Tech, Tech News

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Microsoft going all in with Windows 8

As Apple and Google continue to win over new customers with their sleek, modern products and services, Microsoft has been plotting its next move to keep up in the fast-paced technology world.

After years of dominating the operating system market, Windows has recently seen its sales decline because of this tough competition.

At the beginning of March, Microsoft unveiled the beta version of its newest competitor in the operating system market: Windows 8.

After the failure of Windows Vista, Windows 7 returned some dignity back to the Microsoft operating system brand name. Now, the company is going all in with Windows 8 on its latest attempt to keep up with the newest trends.

Windows 8 features a new "Metro" style, dropping the well known "Start" menu that has been in versions of Windows from XP to 7. Windows 8 will be available for both desktop and tablet platforms, and devices can easily connect via a cloud system. For different-sized devices and screens, Windows 8 will automatically scale the content.

Apps are in your face in Windows 8 as a major feature as well. The ability to customize the apps you want is provided in a user-friendly experience.

Plus, the entire operating system has been optimized for touch screens, tablets and mobile devices of all kinds. Now, you can flick in new apps to the focus of your screen with your finger.

A new Forrestor Research report indicates that Apple and Google are still dominating the mobile operating system market. However, Microsoft believes Windows 8 will help bring back some of its faithful customers.

No one knows if Microsoft will continue to dominate the operating system market as it has in the past, but Windows 8 is the latest attempt to satisfy hungry tech crowds. Let's wait and see if Microsoft's gamble pays off.

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Windows 8 release date foretells touch war with Apple

Microsoft has been tipped to be releasing their newest full version of a desktop operating system in Windows 8 this October, this leading analysts to suspect a MacBook Air Pro target in the wings for the software giant. As we saw quite plainly at the Consumer Preview for Windows 8 during Mobile World Congress 2012, Microsoft is certainly not being shy about showing the massive amount of devices their new OS will work on. That said, Apple’s rumored MacBook Air-thin MacBook Pro will certainly present more than a small challenge for the lot of them manufacturers shown that fine Spring day.

Analysts and technology talking heads alike have expressed their excitement for the final release of Windows 8, especially in its touch interactive iteration. While manufacturers creating devices for the Windows world will be considering touch-friendly laptops while Apple’s newest fighter will likely have a traditional non-touch display intact. The possibility of a touch-friendly user interface on an Apple notebook has been discussed briefly by Apple before as well, this announcement coming aside the original announcement of Mac OS X Lion – an OS which certainly lends itself to a touch-friendly environment.

So which will it be, ladies and gentlemen? Will you be wishing for a touch notebook in the very near future? Do you think you’ll have the option of going with Apple by the time the holidays roll around? And what about Windows 8 – will you run it without the possibility that you’ll ever get to get “fingers on” with it? And of course the big question if you’re certainly going with Windows – which manufacturer do you trust to bring the greatest product to the market with the software running on it?

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In-Depth with the Windows 8 Consumer Preview

Windows has changed a lot since Windows 95 ushered in the modern era of the desktop operating system almost two decades ago—the underlying technology that makes Windows what it is has completely changed since those early days to keep pace with new technologies and usage models. Despite all of those changes, though, the fundamental look and feel of Windows 7 remains remarkably similar to its hoary old predecessor.

Windows 95 and Windows 7: We're not so different, you and I

All of that's changing—the Windows 8 Consumer Preview is here, and it brings with it the biggest fundamental change to the default Windows UI since 1995. Metro is an interface designed for the modern, touch-enabled era, and when Windows 8 (and its cousin, Windows on ARM) is released, it will signify Microsoft's long-awaited entry into the tablet market that the iPad created and subsequently dominated.

The difference between Microsoft's strategy and Apple's strategy is that Microsoft is not keeping its operating systems separate—iOS and OS X are slowly blending together, but they remain discrete OSes designed for different input devices. Windows 8 and Metro, on the other hand, are one and the same: the operating system running on your desktop and the one running on your tablet are going to be the same code.

Metro tends to overshadow Windows 8 by the sheer force of its newness. Although it's one of the biggest changes to the new OS, it's certainly not the only one. Windows 8 includes a slew of other new and updated programs, utilities, services, and architectural improvements to make the operating system more useful and efficient than its predecessor—we'll be looking at the most important of those changes as well.

Will all of these new features come together to make Windows 8 a worthy upgrade to the successful Windows 7? Will the Metro interface work as well with a keyboard and mouse as it does on a tablet? For answers to those questions and more, just keep reading.

Hardware Used for this Review

For the purposes of this review, I’ve installed and run Windows 8 on a wide variety of hardware. I’ve done most of the review on a pair of machines, which I’ll spec out here:

	Dell Latitude E6410	Dell Latitude D620
CPU	2.53 GHz Intel Core i5 M540	2.00 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
GPU	512MB NVIDIA Quadro NVS 3100M	Intel GMA 950
RAM	8GB DDR3	2GB DDR2
Hard drive	128GB Kingston V100 SSD	7200RPM laptop HDD
OS	Windows 8 x64	Windows 8 x86

I also installed and used Windows 8 on the following computers for at least a few hours each:

	Netbook	Late 2006 20" iMac	Mid-2007 20" iMac	HP Compaq C770US	Late 2010 11" MacBook Air	Custom-built Mini ITX desktop
CPU	1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270	2.16 GHz Core 2 Duo	2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo	1.86GHz Intel Pentium Dual-Core	1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo	3.10 GHz Intel Core i3-2105
GPU	Intel GMA 950	128MB ATI Radeon X1600	256MB ATI Radeon 2600 Pro	Intel GMA X3100	NVIDIA GeForce 320M	Intel HD Graphics 3000
RAM	1GB DDR2	2GB DDR2	4GB DDR2	2GB DDR2	4GB DDR3	8GB DDR3
Hard drive	5400RPM laptop HDD	7200RPM desktop HDD	7200RPM desktop HDD	16GB Samsung SSD	128GB Samsung SSD	64GB Crucial M4 SSD
OS	Windows 8 x86	Windows 8 x86	Windows 8 x86	Windows 8 x64	Windows 8 x64	Windows 8 x64

This broad list of hardware, most of it at least a couple of years old, should be representative of most machines that people will actually be thinking about upgrading to Windows 8—there will be people out there installing this on old Pentium IIs, I'm sure, but those who are already know that they're edge cases, and are outside the scope of this review.

Update: Hey AMD fans! A lot of you noticed that there weren't any AMD CPUs included in my test suite. This was not intentional on my part, but rather a byproduct of the fact that I have no AMD test systems on hand at present. For the purposes of this review, these specifications are provided to you only to give you an idea of how Windows 8 performs on hardware of different vintages and speeds, not to make a statement about the relative superiority of one or another CPU manufacturer. For the final, RTM version of Windows 8, we'll make an effort to include some AMD-based systems in our lineup, with especial attention paid to whether Windows 8 improves performance numbers for Bulldozer chips.

With Windows 8, Microsoft has two claims about hardware: first, that Windows 8 would run on any hardware that runs Windows 7, and second, that programs and drivers that worked under Windows 7 would largely continue to work in Windows 8. Overall, my experience on both counts was positive (excepting near-constant Flash crashes), but you can read more about my Windows 8 hardware recommendations later on in the review.

Source:AnandTech

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