First official peek at Windows 8

Microsoft released its first public demonstration of Windows 8 this morning, and it looks like we’re all in for a major UI change when it’s released next year.

It’s clear from the moment you see the Start Screen that the Windows Phone 7 team was involved in the new design. I say “Start Screen” because the first thing you’ll notice is that after nearly two decades of service, the traditional Windows Desktop is gone. The taskbar and Start menu also appear to be missing (more on that later). In its place is a set of tiles (sort of an icon/widget combination) that the 1% of you who’ve adopted Windows Phone 7 will find very familiar. The tiles can display information (like temperature in a weather app), and clicking on them launches the app full screen. Windows 8 apps that support these tiles should be relatively straightforward for developers to build, since they use “standard web technologies, so HTML5 and Java Script”.

Microsoft’s development of Windows 8 has clearly focused on the touch interface (the demo mentions keyboard and mouse support as an afterthought). Microsoft may be a bit late to the game on that front, but they seem to finally have done a smooth job of it. Simple swipe gestures bring up menus and handle fast app switching (no more alt-tab needed). And because Windows 8 is meant for traditional desktops and laptops, as well as tablets (all of which give you more screen real estate than a phone), Microsoft included a very simple mechanism for displaying multiple apps side-by-side on the screen, called Snap. There’s also an on-screen keyboard redesigned for comfortable thumb tapping, a new in-app touch-based file browser, and touch optimized IE10.

Older Windows apps will also run on Windows 8, but the effect is somewhat disconcerting. When MS Excel 2010 pops on the screen, you realize that Windows 8 is little more than a skin over Windows 7. The familiar taskbar is back (in case you were feeling homesick for your clock in the bottom right corner), as is what appears to be the Start Menu. My guess is, that button will return you to your Start Screen, but who knows? Maybe the Start Menu, quick launch icons, even jump lists are sitting there, hiding, waiting for you to open an old app before they make an appearance.

That one caveat aside, Windows 8 looks like a promising offering from Microsoft. Perhaps next year we’ll see a resurgence from what was once the biggest company in tech, and an end to calls for the firing of CEO Steve Ballmer.

Building \”Windows 8\” – Video #1