With everything that is currently going on in the technology industry, it sometimes gets quite difficult to keep all of the announcements in memory and remember what hardware or software is going to be introduced to the marketplace. With the iPhone and iOS 6, the Nexus 7, the chatter surrounding Windows 8 and more recently; the imminent launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note II, I had actually totally forgotten about the impromptu media event where Microsoft introduced us to their Surface tablet. When Apple announces an iPad, it is pretty much available immediately. When Google announced the Nexus 7, it was available for immediate pre-order and was dispatched a couple of weeks later. Microsoft announced the Surface and then, well, nothing happened.
When Microsoft finally got around to announcing Windows Phone 8, users of current WP7.x were left a little disappointed by the lack of support for any current devices. As disheartening as the move was for some, it was a necessary way for Microsoft to really move on, since Windows Phone 8 will offer support for more powerful, dual-core devices - something which will undoubtedly be hindered by the support for older hardware.
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.
The courtroom battle between Apple and Samsung has garnered much media attention over the past few months, with the Cupertino company accusing its Korean rival of "slavishly" copying the designs of both the iPhone and iPad in order to create its Galaxy mobile device range.
Microsoft's Kinect peripheral, which allowed the kind of interactivity with its Xbox 360 console only previously seen in the Nintendo Wii, went down a storm with consumers, becoming the fastest-selling gadget of all time when it launched back in 2010. Like all good new tech releases, it's hard to believe the Kinect motion sensor hasn't even reached the two year mark yet, and talk of its successor has been fairly prevalent for the past couple of months now.
If you are sitting in the office right considering switching jobs, and you happen to have marketing experience that involves leading development of brand positioning, can demonstrate strength and passion for managing large virtual teams and have eight years of experience, then it is quite possible that Microsoft could be looking for you to help bulk up their marketing department in time for busy eighteen months. It shouldn't really come as a shock that Microsoft is looking for staff, but it's the actual content of the job posting that resonates with us and leaves us a little bit excited for the future.
Part of the Windows Essentials Pack, Windows Photo Gallery and Windows Movie Maker are two of the most popular pieces of software for basic photo and video editing (respectively). They improved significantly over the past few years, and now Microsoft has introduced major new features to both. Check them out after the jump.
Windows 8 has always been highlighted as the point when Microsoft's main products would unite as one, with desktop, tablet, smartphone and gaming all intertwined in one way or another by the new operating system. With that in mind, it should be of no surprise that Microsoft has based the structure of gaming on Windows 8 around the flagship Xbox platform, and the built-in games within the upcoming version of the Redmond company's operating system will be branded as "Xbox Windows."
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.
Microsoft has a pretty busy schedule coming up over the next couple of months, and as well as Windows 8, Windows Server 2013 and the introduction of the Surface tablet, Office 2013 is also in the pipeline. The next iteration of the popular productivity suite has been available to download as a preview version for the past couple of weeks now, bringing many new features including deep cloud integration, and now the Redmond-based software extraordinaire has launched a dedicated Store for Microsoft Office 2013.
