Review

Windows 8 Preview

Posted by David Bushell

Windows 8 Preview – A first look at the new "Windows 8" user interface.

The demo showed some of the ways we’ve reimagined the interface for a new generation of touch-centric hardware. Fast, fluid and dynamic, the experience has been transformed while keeping the power, flexibility and connectivity of Windows intact.

The new "app" layer uses HTML and JavaScript to produce a touch interface that's radically different from desktop operating systems to date. It takes a lot of influence from the Zune and later Windows Phone 7 design, but it's a bold move to implement this for normal Windows, all be it on top of the normal "classic" interface.

I have my doubts it'll be the main focus even if a mouse can be used. I'm imagining it will work more like Apple's Dashboard for OS X (meaning mostly never be used).

Unless on a tablet of course, which is where the new UI will really come into its element.

I applaud Microsoft for taking such a different UI design direction. Every other player has just followed Apple's lead, but for once I think Microsoft's stubbornness for doing things their own way may just pay off.

The adoption of web standards for the UI layer is also an unexpected choice but definitely a shrewd move.