The next version of Windows is the upcoming anticipated Windows 8. Rumors about the operating system have indicated that it will be released in October this year which is about three years about its predecessor Windows 7 was released. Microsoft has revealed a new desktop user interface that will be featured in the new OS and while it does look like most Windows interfaces, it does have the inclusion of features like touch capability.
The Windows development team stated, “We wanted to preserve much of the familiar feel of the Windows 7 and not (without) sacrificing the compatibility of existing apps.” In addition to that, the team also revealed that some important changes to the UI will be made and this entails the dropping of the ‘Aero Glass’ effect which gave users the effect of highly-rendered glass, light sources, reflections and other graphically complex textures in the title bards, taskbar and other system surfaces.
Reportedly, all that will be removed in Windows 8 and will be replaced with a “simple neutral look” that is highlighted in the official screenshot embedded below. In addition to the UI changes, there has also been word about a release preview of the OS that is due in June that will apparently feature things like “Hybrid Boot” which will in turn make use of “advanced hibernation functionality” during ‘Shut Down’ to provide faster boot-up times. In addition to that, the release preview is also said to bring “Windows To Go” which will allegedly allow the OS to boot and run from a bootable USB device such as a flash drive.
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