Windows 7: Leaked Presentation Reveals Microsoft's Plans For Windows 8

A leaked Microsoft presentation for hardware makers on Windows 8 reveals some insight into how the company is thinking about its next operating system upgrade. The leak comes from the Microsoft Journal, an enthusiast blog written by Francisco Martín García, who lists himself as a Microsoft VIP Tester. Here's a few key points from the presentation:

• Facial recognition: A Windows computer will know who is using it based on facial recognition technology.

• Fast start time: One of the great things about smartphones and the iPad is that it's always on an ready to go. Laptops are increasingly speedy, but they don't compare to mobile gadgets. Microsoft wants Windows 8 devices to be fast to start.

• Better displays, more integration: Windows 8 will support 3D media, and it will work with wireless TV sets. Says Microsoft, "Developers can build modern experiences around display devices by leveraging Windows 8 support for premium media experiences such as stereoscopic 3D and Wireless TVs."

Read more: Leaked Presentation Reveals Microsoft's Plans For Windows 8

Facial recognition: Sorry, Alienware already did that. Not exactly a new idea, although native integration would be kinda nice.

Fast start time: They'll never beat the iPad start time, it takes less than one second, like the iPhone.

Better displays: That's nice, but hardly worth a whole new OS.

Considering these are the highlights, conclusion: If MS doesn't think of something better than this, Win 8 is going to be their Snow Leopard, a service pack disguised as and priced like a brand new OS.

To be fair though, Windows 8 will not be running on a ipad or iphone. It will be mostly used on a desktop probebly in a corporate environment where its functionality will set it self apart from the others just like its always done in the past.

For MS hopefully 8 won't give the impression that 7 has to some that 7 is what Vista should have been, ie: not rushed and compatability issues.

That's true. Although I still don't think we have reached the age of instant-start desktops. The iPad and similar devices achieve fast start by not actually shutting down, but rather going into a kind of sleep.

I think that's exactly the impression it will give. After the whole Vista fiasco, a rapid development and release of Win 8 is going to make non-7 users think that something was seriously wrong with 7.

You have to realise that Apples Ipad/Iphone are proprietery Hardware and that windows has a multitude of platforms it must work with so thats not comparing apples and oranges.

Windows 7 is excellent out of the box but Vista was, after a while, and so was XP after a while and so on.
At the end of the day they're all pretty similar though. Just operating systems.

Each Windows seems to have got slicker and more user friendly but if I were on an XP machine now I'd be doing much the same stuff as I do on Windows 7.

I think the question is how long can MS keep slightly improving the same thing and making us pay for it?

If Windows 8 is going to be anything radical and worth having then there is bound to be a "Vista" stage with driver issues and incompatibilities etc.

That's my thought anyway

If that's all the revolutionary stuff in Windows 8, then I'm certainly not interested. 7 is awesome as it is, and they should wait about 5-7 more years before they release another OS. If they did that, they could come up with a truly revolutionary OS.

Is anyone worried about the facial recognition stuff? Couldn't someone get a picture of your face (it's pretty easy: Facebook, yearbooks, or just simply take a picture of your face) and hold it up in front of the computer and log in?

However, reading the presentation, the interesting stuff was the plan for IE9 beta this August.

Yes it is excellent new Os, i like Vista but some navigation stuff annoys me, XP was great and i kept it long enough, but i don't see myself anymore on it everyday.


Most pays only the computer they do have with OEM sticker. Even if manies as me upgraded to another version.

I think i'll like Windows 8 and i will not jump on it straight away, as i jumped to 7 after XP and breifly Vista.

MS might jump on Windows 8 quickly because hardwares technology evoluate pretty fast those days...And Windows 7 was the transition to a new era for them. They will not make me regret at all 7. I might not goes as fast as MS anyway.