Such is the manner in which technology moves nowadays, no sooner is one major release out of the way, do consumers, analysts and enthusiasts in general begin nattering about what's up next. Windows 8 has been in our faces for the entire year, after Microsoft dropped the Developer Preview to the public in an unprecedented move, but despite not releasing for another two-and-a-half months, the successor to Windows 8 has already got chins wagging.
Microsoft opened up registrations for the BUILD 2012 conference, and with tickets selling like lemon-topped hotcakes, it’s rather surprising to see that the whole conference sold out in a matter of few minutes, at the time of writing.
The Microsoft Surface is the company's first delve into the increasingly popular tablet market, and it's fair to say the Redmond outfit has a fair bit of catching up to do. The iPad has been retailing for two-and-a-half years, and although Android tablets haven't managed to make as much of an impression on consumers, the companies behind them are now seeming to push forth some genuine contenders to the Cupertino company's dominant slate.
As minor a detail as it may seem, it'll be the packaging you see at every electronics store for the next 3-4 years, and images of the retail Windows 8 packaging have leaked into the wild courtesy of TheVerge. In-keeping with the general theme of the operating system as a whole, the boxing of Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro both have a clear reference to the Metro interface, with the Pro edition coming in a charcoal gray color contrasting the whiteness of the standard edition.
One of the things about Windows which a great deal of users have come to love is also one of the things which a lot of people have taken the opportunity to have a dig at the Redmond company for. There's no doubt that Windows has been the most popular desktop operating system over the years, with millions of people across the world loving the fact that Microsoft has introduced new versions of the OS while rigidly sticking to a tried, tested and familiar visual user-experience. By that I mean it doesn't matter if you pick up Windows 98, XP, Millennium, Vista or 7, you automatically know from experience where things are and can get up and running right away.
Microsoft have done a great job of promoting and publicizing their soon-to-be officially released Windows 8 operating system. The Redmond based company have adopted a policy of making sure the computer loving public and the users of their Windows products have been kept in the loop at every stage of the development process, which in turn has led to stringent and rigorous testing by the very people who will ultimately be purchasing the product when it eventually hits the shelves.
Microsoft fans and PC users the world over have been sitting patiently for the day when the Redmond company deemed their latest Windows 8 operating system ready for a full public release. Microsoft has put a lot of effort into the design and development of the latest version of Windows, making sure to keep users involved in every step of the way with regular preview releases for testing purposes. Reaction to the radically overhauled operating system has been somewhat mixed, but has been positive enough to make Microsoft think that they may be onto a winner.
Fans of Microsoft's Windows 8 have something to celebrate today with the news that the company has completed development of the upcoming operating system. With the software set to make its way to OEMs soon, another milestone has been reached inside Redmond - the company is now accepting paid app submissions for the Windows Store.
Hotmail has been around for what feels like forever, and alongside Gmail it has been one of the most used online email services on the planet. Today Microsoft gave its own email service some competition, with the new Outlook.com preview set to run alongside Hotmail, at least for now.
When Microsoft announced its Surface last month, the tech world was largely impressed by its potential, and by essentially killing off the wholly awful netbook market as well as having a real stab at the iPad-manned tablet field, it appeared to kill two birds with the one proverbial stone.
