Windows 8

In a recent interview, Steven Sinofsky, president, Windows and Windows Live Division noted that there simply was no way of telling how Microsoft would be able to outdo Windows 7 with the forthcoming Windows 8. And yet, a Program Manager on the Windows team, working on Windows Update, published a blog post in which he enthusiastly promised that Windows 8 would end up being completely different  than everything customers expected of a Windows release. While it offered no actual details on the next iteration of Windows, the PM managed to shed light on the enthusiasm that was undoubtedly fueling the people behind the Windows project, as Windows 7 was a smashing success, with over 60 million sold licenses since launch. 
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As more and more details were made available of Windows 7, Microsoft watchers commented that the company had set only modest goals for the release and that it managed to overdeliver on them. It is clear that neither Microsoft’s own, nor customers are expecting the same of Windows 8. In fact, I would dare say that there are already high expectations of Windows 8 forming, especially inside Microsoft.
Obviously, Sinofsky will do more than just cross his fingers and hope that Windows 8 is better than its predecessor, but at this point in time there’s no telling exactly of what it will be. It’s safe to say that the top dog for the Windows project has stumbled upon a winning recipe with the development of Windows 7. Rave reviews, happy and satisfied customers, and all-around accolades are a testament to this fact. And, in this regard, it should only be expected that Windows 8’s development follow in the same footsteps, but with Microsoft perfecting the strategy to ensure a superior product.

A key element of Windows 7’s success was the intimate collaboration of the Windows team with members of the software and hardware ecosystem revolving around the operating system. Software developers and hardware manufacturers got an early preview of Windows 7 one year ahead of general availability, and this time around Microsoft’s evangelism efforts paid off. 

Obviously, there’s a lot of pressure on Microsoft to outdo Windows 7 with Windows 8, to aim higher, after all modest goals, slow evolution and potentially mediocre releases will only help rivals grow their market share to the detriment of Windows.  


The head of the development team said "The minimum that folks can take for granted is that the next version will be something completly different from what folks usually expect of Windows - I am simply impressed with the process that Steven has setup to listen to our customers needs and wants and get a team together than can make it happen. To actually bring together dozens and dozens of teams across Microsoft to come up with a vision for Windows.next is a process that is surreal! The themes that have been floated truly reflect what people have been looking for years and it will change the way people think about PCs and the way they use them. It is the future of PCs... Thats about it for this post for the time being - I know I'm not sharing much at this point but right now I can't as we work towards finalizing that vision ."

Information leaked by a program manager working on the Windows team (Windows Update) indicates that Sinofsky is looking to make Windows 8beat all that end users expect of Windows platforms. Of course, provided that Microsoft ends up calling Windows vNext Windows 8.

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