Windows 8 design incorporates iOS or webOS style

Beijing time on April 11, according to foreign media reports, if the rumors about Windows 8's design are true, then Microsoft's next-generation Windows system will be a cross-platform operating system, or integrated Apple iOS /HP webOS style.

Microsoft is a multi-national company with a long-standing reputation for desktop operating systems and productivity software, and it also develops its own console for Sony and Nintendo. But with the rise of mobile devices and hardware in the market, competitors such as Apple and Google are increasingly shifting the interests of consumers and business users to smartphones and tablets. At this time, Microsoft has to struggle to start a new one. Business strategy.

As smartphones continue to evolve into handheld computers, Microsoft's Windows Mobile platform looks more and more outdated. In response, Microsoft finally launched Windows Phone 7 in 2010 as a response. It can aggregate applications and web content based on specific topics, which is different from the independent applications of Apple iPhone and Google Android.

However, the mobile market is still evolving —— this time on the tablet. Under the spur of the super success of the Apple iPad, many manufacturers are also eager to start, carrying the Google Android system. In April of this year, RIM will also launch the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, and HP will launch a tablet PC with its newly acquired system webOS this summer.

So far, Microsoft has struggled in the tablet market. It still dominates the traditional operating system market, and Win7 is also very satisfying for both consumers and business users. But now it is necessary to further develop a cross-platform strategy, which is Windows 8.

The technology blog Within Windows recently published a series of blog posts describing the possibilities of Win8's design: an official style ribbon will be integrated into Windows Explorer; a complete tool allows users to browse documents and manage images And hard disk data; one inherited WP7 "large" design style unlock screen; a "landscape" user interface and a built-in PDF reader "Modern Reader".

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Because of this, the blog speculates that this AppX application type will work for Win8 and WP8 (codename "Apollo"), providing developers with a new model for developing applications that enable applications to Free to convert on a variety of devices, including traditional computers, tablets and mobile phones.

Although Microsoft has been silent on how to design the next generation of Windows, the company is very clear that their next-generation operating system will support SoC (system-on-a-chip) technology. Especially ARM-based systems from partners such as Qualcomm, Nvidia, and Texas Instruments. In contrast, this will give Microsoft more opportunities to port its systems to tablets and mobile devices.

The details of the Win8 unlock screen described on the Within Windows blog suggest a cross-platform system: “The display will contain time, day of the week and date, and the power management icons will be easy to use. Maybe more features will appear on other devices. ”

Assume that all of these features ——including"AppX” application patterns can be reflected in the final version of the next generation of Windows, assuming that Win8 can support a variety of devices —— from small tablets On the traditional desktop, assuming that Microsoft is developing a WP8 that is closely tied to the previous generation, these factors add up to mean that Microsoft is expanding its system, or called Evolution — — to Apple, Google and HP. The evolution of mobile system style.

Apple Mobile iOS supports the company's own tablets and mobile devices. Its desktops and laptops still use Mac OS X, but iOS has played a more powerful role in the traditional paradigm: Apple recently introduced the Mac App Store & mdash; — confirmed the imitation of its mobile App Store.

At the same time, HP plans to put webOS not only on its tablets and smartphones, but also on traditional computers. “webOS has an incredible technology appeal that seamlessly integrates a range of devices,” HP CEO Leo Apotheker said in a March 14 press conference, “It’s a great web operating system.” . ”

While Google Android was initially featured on the smartphone operating system, it is now aggressively entering other device areas, especially the tablet market, which includes the 10.1-inch Motorola Xoom and the Samsung Galaxy Tab. The latest version of Android 3.0 Honeycomb focuses on tablets, in format and in many respects different from the operating system version of the smartphone —— although the basis is the same.

In other words, the cross-platform operating system seems to be the place for future military strategists. And all the information indicates that Microsoft is also ready to respond. The question is, in what form will it respond? When Win8 is available on a certain day in 2012, what kind of equipment will it support?