Most people I know have not updated to Windows 7 or if they have it was within the past six months. But in the world of rapid fire software development that doesn’t matter. Windows 8 is in developer stage and well on the way out the door and to a Best Buy near me. Which means I’ll probably need to upgrade or get laughed at by all the kids in school. (Ok – so that last part probably isn’t true but I’ll upgrade anyway.)
I’ve played with Windows 8 as much as my VirtualBox will allow me with the limited amount of memory I have on my system. (8GB of memory isn’t enough for 7 and 8 to play nicely for long obviously). In some ways it is very much the same as Windows 7 and in others it is completely different.
The same I don’t have to go over – you should be familiar with that. The different – the Start Screen and the ‘mosaic’ tile apps shown in the picture to the right. These are interesting – and I’m assuming once they are set and doing what you want should be faster than looking for items in a Start Menu configuration. That being said if you watch this video from Microsoft they seem to think everyone has a touchscreen. Yes – to maximize this technology you need more than just new software or a new CPU – you are going to need a new monitor. Ouch.
On the upside they are trying to move in the direction of one OS style/template for multiple devices. Similar to what I see from Apple with their new OS feeling more like an iPad/iPhone setup. (Crazy? Maybe.) Anyway – watch the video. If you have a system that can handle it – download VirtualBox and the Windows Developer Preview and give it a shot.