Value Proposition
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Microsoft offered another layer of insight into Windows 8 at its BUILD conference, which kicked off Sept. 13 in Anaheim, Calif. Sinofsky
used his opening keynote to offer a value proposition to the scores of
developers gathered for the event: Build
applications for the Windows platform and open up a marketplace of hundreds of
millions of users.
Windows 8 embraces a new
tech world with a "whole new set of scenarios," he added, pacing a stage lined
with screens running the next-generation operating system. Computing is done on
the move, on an increasing number of small-and-light form factors, in a world
where consumers are increasingly interested in things like touch capability and
apps.
Windows 8's mission, Sinofsky explained, is to "build on all of
that success of Windows 7," while offering features and tools to meet the
demands of this new paradigm. Programs supported by Windows 7 will run on
Windows 8. The next-generation operating system will be "equally at home on ARM
and x86," he said.
During that two-hour
keynote, a number of Microsoft executives tromped on stage to demonstrate some
of Windows 8's until-then-unseen capabilities. These included picture password,
which involves tapping parts of an image to access the system, and the Windows
8 app store, which will list win32 apps in addition to the "Metro" apps that
are designed to play well with the operating system's touch-centric mode. The storefront looks altogether different from the app store for Windows Phone, although
it likewise emphasizes games and other categories designed to appeal to
consumers.
Sinofsky and company offered
BUILD attendees high-end swag, in the form of a Samsung-built tablet running a
developer preview of Windows 8. The 11.6-inch device features SDK (software
development kit) apps, a "recovery environment," a dock to connect with a
keyboard or dual monitor, a 64GB SSD hard drive, 4GB of RAM and one year's
worth of AT&T 3G connectivity.
It's powered by an Intel chipset and
includes a microSD port.
Robust Security
Despite the BUILD focus on tablets, Sinofsky devoted a substantial chunk of his keynote to showing how Windows 8 will appeal to the IT pros and consumers paranoid about security. Windows 8 will feature a number of robust technologies, notably Windows Defender, with additional capabilities. At one point, an executive plugged a USB with a rootkit virus into the port of a tablet running Windows 8, and the device failed to boot up and compromise the system. That's just one aspect of the digital armor Microsoft is building for the platform. Sinofsky also made a point to flip between the desktop and tablet modes. At this relatively early stage, the desktop environment's windows and taskbar look blockier than Windows 7's Aero aesthetic, but whether this is anything close to the final Windows 8 "look" remains to be seen. Microsoft has revamped the task manager with a heads-up display and a control panel with granular controls for power users. Windows 8 also continues the lessons learned from Windows Vista, whose aggressive alerts and pop-ups sparked a firestorm of user complaints. With the upcoming operating system, the alerts (at least, the alerts shown at BUILD) are subtle, with small text positioned near the bottom of a particular screen. There obviously remains a lot to be revealed. Over the coming weeks and months, trust that Microsoft will continue to push the value proposition of Windows 8, arguing to the world that technology has evolved enough to require a new operating system with an expanded list of capabilities.
