ARM Support a Major New Enhancement
Email
Print
5. Don't undervalue ARM support
Ever
since Microsoft announced ARM support in Windows, the agreement hasn't really
been talked about. However, it's arguably one of the biggest aspects of Windows
8. With ARM support, Microsoft can kick off its mobile charge, and vendors will
be able to improve device battery life. It's a win-win.
6. Going to the cloud with SkyDrive
Microsoft
knows all too well how important the cloud is. That's why the company has said it
will integrate SkyDrive into Windows 8. By doing so, users will have free cloud
storage available to them, and that should go a long way toward keeping users
on Windows rather than switching to Mac OS X.
7. Enterprise virtualization
Those
in the enterprise know quite well how important Hyper-V is in the Windows
Server ecosystem. But those same folks might be
surprised to hear the service is also coming to Windows 8. The move is
designed to help consumers and enterprises run legacy applications and earlier
versions of Windows and thus dramatically increase the chances that a company's
outdated software will still work on a new PC.
8. Windows to Go
Windows
to Go could be a boon for the enterprise. The idea is to allow users to have
their entire Windows work environment available to them on any computer, thanks
to an installation of their content on a thumb drive. According to Microsoft,
the service will even support a person's programs, effectively allowing them to
bring their entire computer with them wherever they go by simply using a thumb
drive.
9. Fast (and fewer) boot-ups
Over
the years, boot-ups have been a thorn in the average Windows user's side.
However, Microsoft says Windows 8 will deliver much faster
boot-up times and reduce the number of times users will need to restart
their systems to get Windows updates. Not bad, eh?
10. Legacy products help
Finally,
and perhaps most importantly, it's worth noting that Windows' success over the
years has been due mainly to the versions that came before it. Consumers loved
Windows 95, so they moved to Windows 98, for example. And
although Windows Vista was a disappointment, Windows XP users were happy to
adopt Windows 7. This time around, expect Windows 7's popularity to boost
Windows 8.
Follow Don Reisinger on Twitter by
clicking here
