There you have it!  Microsoft jumped in and made its highly anticipated presentation of Windows 8 at its recent Build Conference.

Being the official operating system for many PCs and touch pads, Windows 8 will be the symbiosis of the powerful Windows 7 and the unpopular Windows Phone. In addition, the designers have clearly focused on being “applications oriented” vs. “software-oriented.”

So, which route did they take? Only time will tell. However, early results seem encouraging!

Compatible with any screen (small, large, tactile, traditional performance …) not to worry, Windows 8 will be compatible with all the applications currently running on Windows 7 as well.

Some “brief” tests were conducted to assess the overall performance of Windows 8. Again the recorded results remain inconclusive (note that only 21 processes can run in the background on Windows 8 vs 31 for Windows 7 …).

Windows 8 also differs from its predecessor in its visual Metro interface. This is as promising as it is intuitive and easy, yet will not be used for touch screens and tablets. A version of more traditional appearance, very similar to Windows 7, will be retained for conventional stations.

Once again: findings from these tests cannot be definitive as there will be many changes before the official launch of Windows 8 within the next year.

In the meantime, you can always download a 32 or 64-bit “Developer preview” of your account via Windows Live 8. Do not deprive yourself!

Have a great week all!