While speculation as to just which OS Microsoft would push forward for the tablet market has finally been put to bed Windows 8 officially the platform of choice the UI it sports drops it firmly into Windows Phone 7 territory.
Either way, Microsoft used Computex and the D9 Conference as predicted to lift the lid both on Windows 8 itself, and the many different forms of hardware it will run on tablets naturally in the mix.
New start
Windows 8 represents the first time the company has delivered a touch interface from the word go, rather than attempting to bolt on touch controls to previous releases, such as Windows XP, Vista and 7.
Most notably, the Start screen has much in common with Microsoft's smartphone OS, loading up with live tiles in much the same way as a Windows Phone 7 handset.
A more traditional desktop look, running 'legacy applications', will also be available behind a tile in itself, though it's believed tablets may shirk this option and simply sport the live tile UI.
The OS will also come with a Marketplace of its own.
It's not clear whether Windows 8's app store on either PC or tablet will directly link to Windows Phone Marketplace, though the idea is that developers write their apps in HTML5 or JavaScript.
This will enable them to run seemlessly on any Windows 8 tablets with power enough to render the languages quickly.
Opening windows
"On day one, when Windows 8 ships, hundreds of millions of developers will already know [how to develop for it]," said corporate VP of Windows planning, hardware and PC ecosystem, Mike Angiulo.
"This represents a fundamental shift in Windows design that we haven't attempted since the days of Windows 95, presenting huge opportunities for our hardware partners to innovate with new PC designs."
ARM based tablets running Windows 8 were on display at Computex, though their release naturally depends on the launch date of the OS itself, which though expected in the second half of 2012 - Microsoft is yet to officially reveal.
More details will come to light at BUILD Microsoft's new developer event, designed to school the art of working on apps for Windows 8 due to take place in Anaheim, California this September.
[source: Engadget]
