Microsoft Delivers the Windows 8 Release

 
Microsoft on Thursday delivered the Windows 8 Release Preview, the final pre-release milestone of its next OS. The Windows 8 Release Preview along with related releases such as the Windows Server 2012 Release Candidate (RC) and Visual Studio 2012 RC, come about a week earlier than expected. Is this a sign that Microsoft is revving up to deliver these products earlier in the year than was assumed.

“Today, Windows 8 Release Preview is available for download in 14 languages,” Microsoft’s Steven Sinofsky wrote in the Building Windows 8 blog post announcing the release. “This is our final pre-release, and includes Windows 8, Internet Explorer 10, new Windows 8 apps for connecting to Hotmail, SkyDrive, and Messenger (and many more), and hundreds of new and updated apps in the Windows Store.”

As I did with the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, I’ve provided a ton of content for the Windows 8 Release Preview.

Microsoft hinted that the final version of Windows 8 could be coming a lot sooner than expected. “If the feedback and telemetry on Windows 8 and Windows RT match our expectations, then we will enter the final phases of the RTM process in about 2 months,” Mr. Sinofsky wrote, suggesting an early August RTM.  “If we are successful in that, then we are tracking to our shared goal of having PCs with Windows 8 and Windows RT available for the holidays.”



Microsoft also revealed that the Windows 8 Upgrade Offer will begin June 2, 2012, in 131 markets, including the United States and Canada, and confirmed my earlier report that this offer will cost just $15. Those who purchase eligible computers during the offering time will receive a copy of Windows 8 Pro.

Microsoft Looks Ahead of Windows 8

 

During its keynote address at the Computex trade show this week in Taipei, Taiwan, Microsoft showed off the Windows device innovations that consumers can expect from the software giant’s partners in the months ahead, many of which are aligned with the coming Windows 8 launch. But Microsoft also took a look back and examined the past 3 years of PC hardware innovation, hinting that the best was yet to come.

Microsoft Corporate Vice President Steven Guggenheimer demonstrated “the breadth of innovation happening across the Windows ecosystem,” as Microsoft puts it, “highlighting the latest Windows devices across PCs, servers, phones, and specialized devices that enable customers and partners to maximize their investments.”

Before looking at coming Windows 8 devices, Microsoft provided an interesting video, Windows 7 PC Evolution, which highlights how much PCs have changed in just the past 3 years. During this time period, which coincides with the mainstream lifetime of Windows 7, PCs have evolved from predictable tower PCs and notebooks to include highly mobile, thin-and-light Ultrabooks; slate-like tablets; and all-in-one desktops, many with touch screens.

However, the “wave of innovation” that’s coming promises to blow away the past 3 years. At the show, Microsoft highlighted a stunning number of new PC form factors and devices from a wide range of partners. Some of the highlights include the following:

Acer announced a number of Windows 8-based designs at Computex, including two new Windows 8 all-in-one PCs, the Aspire 7600U (27") and the Aspire 5600U (23"), two Windows 8-based tablets, the 10.1" Iconia W510 and the 11.6" Iconia W700, and a “premium touch” Ultrabook, the Aspire S7 series, which will come in both 11.6" and 13.3" variants and offer up to 12 hours of battery life.

ASUS will expand its Transformer series of tablets to include two Windows 8-based designs, the 11.6" ASUS Tablet 810 (running Windows 8) and the 10.1" ASUS Tablet 600 (running the ARM-based Windows RT). Both will provide detachable hardware keyboards for hybrid use.

Dell has redesigned its Inspiron laptop lineup and expanded its Ultrabook offering with a series of portable machines that will debut with Windows 7 throughout June and be eligible for Microsoft’s $15 Windows 8 upgrade program.

Lenovo announced the availability of two new Ultrabook designs, the IdeaPad U310 and U410, which feature third-generation Intel Core processors and start under $800.

Toshiba unveiled a new lineup of business-oriented portable products, all based on third-eneration Intel Core processors, including the Portégé Z930 Ultrabook, the Portégé R930 ultraportable, and new versions of its Tecra line of devices. Toshiba bills the Z930 as the “world’s lightest 13-inch Ultrabook”: It weighs less than 2.5 pounds (compared with about 3 pounds for most machines in this class). Toshiba also updated its consumer-oriented Satellite series, which now includes Ultrabook designs. But the big news is that Toshiba also announced Windows 8 hardware: It will deliver a Windows 8 Ultrabook, a touchscreen Windows RT clamshell PC, and a Windows RT tablet with keyboard dock.

As expected, hardware makers have started announcing their coming Windows 8-based devices just ahead of this week’s Computex trade show in Taiwan. And first out of the gate are new tablets, hybrid PCs, Ultrabooks, and all-in-one desktops from Acer, ASUS, and Toshiba. However, only Acer has released detailed information about its plans.

Acer on Monday announced a pair of Windows 8-based tablets: the Iconia W510 and Iconia W700. The W510 is technically a hybrid PC: It sports a 10" screen and a detachable keyboard that transforms the tablet into a clamshell notebook or flips backward over the device in a presentation mode. The W700 is a higher-end device with an 11.6" full-HD screen. Both devices provide over 8 hours of battery life, Acer says.

Acer Iconia W510

“The most unique part of the W510 tablet is the tri-mode, allowing users to touch, type, and view,” an Acer press release notes. “A detachable keyboard dock can be connected to the tablet for optimal typing as well as extending the battery life up to 18 hours. Rotating the tablet 295 degrees allows it to be used in presentation mode, which is excellent for watching a video, browsing a webpage, or viewing a PowerPoint presentation.”

Acer Iconia W700

 
Acer’s devices, notably, are based on Intel chipsets, though the company says it will release ARM-based Windows RT tablets “two to four months” after Windows 8 launches, as well. The W510 will cost $799,  Acer notes, while the W700 will cost $999.

Acer has also announced a touch-based Aspire Ultrabook, which comes in versions with both 11.6" and 13.3" screens. These devices will feature battery life of 9 to 13 hours, the company claims. And Acer will offer two all-in-one PCs in 23" and 27" screen variants. The PCs feature swiveling screens, multi-touch, and full HD graphics.

ASUS, meanwhile, has announced two Intel-based Windows 8 tablet PCs—the Tablet 810 and Tablet 600—and three hybrid PCs than can switch between pure tablet and notebook modes. These are named the Taichi, Transformer AiO, and Transformer Book. Toshiba, meanwhile, will offer at least one ARM-based Windows RT tablet, although the company’s official announcement is still forthcoming.Microsoft is expected to reveal a number of coming Windows 8 and Windows RT hardware designs during Computex. 

AMD Trinity Windows 8 hybrid hands on

 

 AMD brought along its latest 2nd-gen Trinity reference design along to Computex 2012 today, and we grabbed some hands-on time with the Compal-made tablet/notebook hybrid after the keynote. An 11.6-inch slate which docks into a well-spaced keyboard with trackpad and extra ports, the unnamed prototype is unlikely to reach the market in its current form, but AMD hopes will provide some inspiration to its OEM partners considering APUs.

The hardware itself is reasonably solid, though there’s some flex in the slate section. It docks with a reassuring click – the cradle itself has two latches and a cup-design that hugs the lower edges – while the speaker on the bottom of the tablet is replaced by integrated stereo speakers built into the hinges of the dock.

The keyboard section isn’t just a peripheral, but adds new functionality to the package as a whole: AMD says it has a large capacity hard-drive inside, along with automatic sync between it and the slate’s storage. Together, closed, they’re 20mm thick, which brings the whole package into ultrabook territory.

A couple of cameras, several USB ports spread out between the tablet and the dock, a wired ethernet port on the back of the keyboard and HDMI connectivity round out the main specs. It’s certainly not the first hybrid we’ve seen, but if AMD can deliver its Trinity APU performance claims in the real-world, it’s one we might consider opting for.

Windows 8 Transformer in Samsung Blinks Like Tablet

 

Samsung is in the line of getting a piece of the tablet-PC cake by introducing a Series 5 Tablet at Computex. This Windows 8 Tablet-PC takes a page off the Transformer AiO with its docking style like keyboard. The only difference here is that the Transformer AiO runs Android in tablet mode where as this is a complete Windows 8.

Offering a battery life of 10 hours, the tablet runs on Intel’s 2-watt Clover Trail processor based on its x86 architecture. The hybrid tablet features a 8MP rear camera and 2MP front camera along with various ports and slots including a USIM, SuperSpeed USB and a microSD card reader. The tablet will also be bundled with S-Pen and the S-Memo software which comes along with Galaxy Note. The display is a 11-inch screen which may be sporting a full-HD display but there is a possibility of lower resolution being offered, unless we have any further details on the specifications.

Weighing just 1.65 pounds and with a thickness of just 9mm, the tablet looks promising or we can say the PC looks promising as this is a complete PC than just a tab. But this might not be the final product as changes can be expected from Samsung before it hits the market just around the time after Windows 8 is commercially launched.

Samsung debuts new Windows 8 tablets

 

Samsung unveiled several new Windows devices on the opening day of Taipei's Computex show, including two tablets with attachable keyboards that are scheduled to arrive in markets in October.

The two tablets, called the Samsung Series 5 Hybrid PC and the Samsung Series 7 Hybrid PC, both run Windows 8 and feature 11.6 inch touchscreens. Samsung, however, said the tablets were still in the development stages, and offered few technical specs, only saying they would use Intel chips.

Battery life for the tablets will be around 7 hours. The Series 7 Hybrid will also pack more processing power, but its hardware design will be slightly thicker, compared with the Series 5 Hybrid, Samsung said.

Microsoft has yet to announce a release date for Windows 8. But analysts expect the new operating system to arrive near the end of this year. PC vendors Asus and Acer on Monday unveiled their own Windows 8 tablets, some which also feature attachable keyboards to make them into notebooks.

Along with the tablets, Samsung showed off a convertible laptop device with a touchscreen. The Samsung Notebook Series 5 Ultra Convertible is built with a 360-degree hinge, allowing the notebook to flip into a tablet.

The device uses an Intel Core i7 processor at 1.9GHz, and has about 6 to 7 hours of battery life. Samsung, however, said the device is only a concept at this point. The company also showed a similar device, called the Samsung Notebook Series 5 Ultra Touch, but this comes without the 360-degree hinge for its display.

Intel partners prep 20 Clover Trail Windows 8 tablets

 

Forget Ivy Bridge and Ultrabooks, Intel already has its partners working on 20 new tablet designs based on its Clover Trail Atom chips, as the firm looks to take on rival ARM in its own back yard with a renewed mobile push.

Chipzilla SVP Tom Kilroy revealed the plans during a keynote at the Computex trade show in Taipei – an event where Ivy Bridge-based Ultrabooks and tablet hybrids running Windows 8 have dominated so far.

Intel has of course been a little slow to the mobile game, where chips designed by British success story ARM have historically dominated, but is making up for it with a big investment in its 32nm Atom SoC Clover Trail designs.

The chip giant is pretty confident it has cracked the old power efficiency problems which have held it back in the past and will aim Clover Trail to coincide with the much-anticipated launch of Windows 8 at around October time.

In fact, it could have the edge on ARM when it comes to tablets based on the new Microsoft OS in that it will work with existing Windows apps, unlike the new Windows RT operating system being designed for ARM chips.

There were no details on exactly who’s making these 20 Clover Trail tablets, but expect the usual suspects of Asus (whose effort is pictured below), Acer, Lenovo and possibly Dell, amongst others.

ASUS' Windows 8 Clover Trail tablet from Computex

In fact, Taiwanese giant Asus has jumped the gun by already showing off one of its next gen Atom-based designs, the Tablet 810, at the expo on Monday.

Elsewhere at the show it has been all about Ultrabooks running Intel’s new Ivy bridge chips, with Kilroy claiming that more than 35 new models will be available within the next 30 days, and over 110 designs expected in the next year.

Aside from Asus and Acer’s pre-show beauty parade, MSI debuted a snazzy Ultrabook/tablet hybrid. The MSI Slider S20 features a 10-point multi-touch screen which collapses down neatly over the keyboard so that the device can be used as a tablet.

Windows 8 and the Cloudy Future

 

To this point, been the world's biggest fan of Windows 8, but I've had a difficult time pinpointing precisely why. Throughout the Developer Preview, the Consumer Preview, and now the Release Preview, I've found myself turned off by a startling number of things about the Metro interface, from its colors (Technicolor vomit dump) to its functionality (pre-school simplistic).

But today, while watching Intel executive Thomas Kilroy's keynote speech at the Computex e21 Forum , I think I finally figured out what bothers me so much about Windows 8 and Metro: They seem to want to take the user experience backward.

No, not just in terms of relegating you to one window per screen after you may have become used to five, six, seven, even a dozen at a time. (Over the last month or so I've started referring to the OS, only half-jokingly, as Window 8.) Rather, it's that until now the evolution of the PC has always been about giving the user more power over what he or she does. But here Microsoft is, in one fell swoop, taking a lot of that power away. Worse is that I fear the company is also abetting in the diminishing of the very drive we have to create and do more for ourselves, and instead turning us into devourers of content rather than people who maybe—just maybe—could make a lot of it ourselves.
Computex bug 2012

In his speech, Kilroy focused a lot on the senses, and examined how he perceived Intel-powered phones, tablets, and ultrabooks will help people become more aware of the sights, sounds, and physical sensations their computers inspire in them. "What we see, what we hear, what we feel," he said. "That's what defines our experiences. And the fuel for that is defined by content."

Right. But why is it that whenever people like Kilroy, in high-powered positions, praise Windows 8 and the hardware that's going to run it, all they ever do is praise the way it makes content easier to consume? Once upon a time, and not even that long ago, major new technologies were framed in terms of the active ways they'd let you expand your and others' horizons, and not merely the passive ways you'd be able to absorb other people's views of what you are, or should be, interested in.

I'm not saying I don't understand this viewpoint on some level. I do. It's easy to recognize it as the Apple model of "you'll take what we give you, and you'll like it," which has defined the App Store experience (and not without some controversy) from the very beginning. Apple is always the gatekeeper. That's not a point of view I share, at least most of the time, but even I'll admit I think it can have its place. Not coincidentally, I'm sort of okay with gatekeeping in the areas Apple has been exceedingly careful to relegate it.

By maintaining a closed ecosystem for iOS apps, Apple has successfully established some kind of quality control and also been able to easily deliver users what they expect from their software. It's the Apple way extended beyond Apple's own development boundaries; the company found a way to keep a grip on what bears its name, while no longer having to do all the work of building the programs themselves. This works for Apple because the company has always been about offering a completely integrated experience from top to bottom, and this is just the continuation of that same mindset.

But PCs are different and always have been. Using a PC has traditionally been about taking more control over your computer and your life as it relates to it. You've always been able to build a system that matches exactly your needs and budget, with either no excess or as much as you wanted. Back in the olden days it also meant modifying config.sys and autoexec.bat files so you could get your programs to run without conflicts. After that (and, to no small extent, still today) it was about rearranging icons and windows to help make you more efficient in whatever you did. And after that, it was about creating content, whether through blogging software, photo or video editing, and other similar activities: If you had the power and the drive to do anything, you just needed to find the right software to help you.

With Windows 8, however, Microsoft and its partners are diminishing your ability to create content, or at least the ease with which you can do so. "No," Metro coos, "just sit back and look at sports scores through this app, or check the DJIA through this one. We'll take care of it all for you. You don't need to do anything. In fact, we don't want you to do anything." Yes, yes, if you absolutely have to, you can always fire up the desktop and get some actual work done, but if that weren't really supposed to be the last of last resorts, wouldn't Microsoft let you boot into it and start your computing journey.