Win8: Is it different or different?

After several months of preparations, Microsoft finally released the official version of Windows 8 in the early hours of the morning, and Steven Sinofsky, the head of Windows, praised it as "the best Windows ever." Ironically, the company's digital executives have been trying to tell viewers that compared to Windows 7, Win8 is not that different. In fact, because the two operating systems are so similar, Microsoft did not set a separate price for Windows 8.

Microsoft has begun selling Windows 8 copies (excluding mainland China) through its distributors around the world and its own retail stores. Consumers will have two options: upgrade an existing PC or buy a device with Windows 8 pre-installed (including Windows RT, of course). A computer with a touch screen can cost at least $499.

“Windows 8 is a major milestone in the evolution and revolution of personal computers,” said Sinofsky.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that no matter what you see or hear, Windows 8 does overturn the traditional perception of personal computing devices.

Windows 8 is up?

Although this is a special launch for Windows 8, Microsoft has not forgotten to remind people who are present and watching the live broadcast "Windows 7 is also very successful". This move may make users who advocate Windows 7 face a dilemma. “Windows 7 has become the most widely used and most recognized operating system,” says Sinofsky. Microsoft has sold more than 670 million copies, and Win7 is the fastest system for enterprise users.

“However, we avoided these increments," said Sinofsky, "we completely re-planned this experience." "The latest Microsoft made such a dramatic change or the days of Vista's launch. Although this product has failed after the twists and turns, Vista is indeed the most powerful attempt in the evolutionary history of Windows." To prove, Microsoft also reinstalled Windows 8 for a device with the Windows 7 operating system. By comparison, the device configured for the Windows 8 operating system has a 13% increase in battery life and a 22% reduction in memory usage. Overall, Windows 8 runs 45% faster.

Ballmer said that more than 16 million computing devices are pre-installed with Windows 8 systems. This means that computer users will have enough time to understand and familiarize themselves with the product and then find vulnerabilities that may be hidden. Microsoft said that the company and its partners have tested almost every device that has Windows 8 pre-installed, with a total test time of 1.24 billion hours.

Windows 8: Although it has changed, but as always

Microsoft has painstakingly solved the problem that the "Start" button was removed. Ballmer stressed that although the "Start" button has been removed, people can still use the hidden button at the bottom left to switch applications. Although the executives who showed up on the product were trying their best to appreciate the Windows UI (or “Mex”, they took some time to explain the design implications of the desktop model, which mimicked the design in Windows 7.

For example, Julie Larson-Green, vice president of the Windows Experience Group, is like a redesigned runtime environment and says “users can use the mouse or swipe their fingers to implement various gestures”.

Windows RT will support inexpensive tablets based on ARM architecture processors, and most applications from the Windows Store will also support this variant.

Good support for PC

There will be more than 1000 certified computers running Windows 8, and some hardware partners such as Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Dell and others have launched "The best PC ever". Many of these manufacturers will launch tablets and traditional PCs. Ballmer said that Windows 8 will present us with the best tablets and PCs in the world, which will enrich your life and entertainment.

The number of applications is still a question

Sinofsky likes "The Windows Store has a good start", but he did not say the exact number of applications, or How many can run on a Windows RT device.

The website address can also be pinned to the "starting interface", so for some users, these pages may also be considered applications. Microsoft's own applications are driven by Bing, including news, finance, sports, maps and weather. The company also recently integrated the video calling application Skype, which will become a major component of the Windows 8 system.

In addition, Microsoft has also bundled the Xbox game console with Smartglass, an application that helps users control and order movies and then allow them to be played on the TV screen. The Windows Phone 8 OS, which will be released next Monday, will also share user data through the “Live Tile” interface.

Microsoft and the PC industry are all betting on Windows 8?

Market research institutes IDC and Gartner have said that traditional PC shipments have fallen more than 8% in the third quarter of today. At the same time, Microsoft is also badly hurt. In the fiscal quarter at the end of September, Microsoft experienced a year-on-year decline in both revenue and profit, although this quarter's earnings did not include deferred revenue.

“ There are currently 670 million PCs waiting to be upgraded to Windows 8," Ballmer said. "This is a very scary number." ” Analysts expect that PC shipments will reach 400 million units next year, most of which will be equipped with Windows 8 systems.