Windows 8

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer didn't actually say that there will a half-billion Windows 8 users next year, despite earlier reports.

Earlier this week, AFP reported that Ballmer told attendees at the Seoul Digital Forum in Korea that there could be 500 million Windows 8 users worldwide next year. As one might expect, the online world was set ablaze by the news, since it took Windows 7 some 18 months to hit only 350 million licenses.

However, soon after the report was published, Microsoft issued a statement to Computerworld saying that Ballmer's comments were taken out of context, and … Read more

Dell's upcoming Windows 8 tablet will break the 10.1-screen-size mold, spanning a roomy 10.8 inches, according to a report. And it's targeted at business -- a market that Microsoft and its coterie of Windows device makers know well.

The "Dell Latitude 10," as reported by Neowin, has some brawny PC-like specs, including a 128GB solid-state drive and up to 2GB of memory -- which, by the way, is what Dell currently offers on its 10.1-inch Latitude ST, also targeted at corporate "enterprise" customers.

A source familiar with upcoming Windows 8 tablets … Read more

Dell is preparing a raft of tablets, hybrids, and ultrabooks for the Windows 8 launch later this year.

"The addition of capacitive touch capability into Windows 8, we think, will be a welcome addition...and will have a full complement of products at time of launch," Michael Dell said today during the company's first-quarter 2013 earnings conference call, in response to an analyst's question.

"We're totally lined up with Windows 8. You'll see us introduce tablets," he added.

And he suggests that Windows 8 touch-centric interface means that current PCs will not … Read more

Really fast boot times on Windows 8 hardly sounds like a problem. But it is. Here's why.

Startup can be so fast that you whiz by familiar sign posts that prompt for input, wrote Chris Clark, a program manager in the Windows User Experience team, today in a Building Windows 8 blog post.

"When you turn on a Windows 8 PC, there's no longer [enough time] to detect keystrokes like F2 or F8, much less time to read a message such as 'Press F2 for Setup'," Clark said.

On a solid-state drive-equipped ultrabook, for example, Windows … Read more

Whether you love or hate Windows 8's Metro interface, its syncing feature makes it immensely valuable to both people with more than one device, and those who know how frustrating it can be to lose personal data and settings from a crash.

Windows 8 can run a local account, but if you use a Microsoft account -- formerly known as a Windows Live account -- you'll be able to sync some app settings and passwords; Internet Explorer 10 history, preferences, and bookmarks; desktop options such as log-in, lock screen, and colors; search preferences; language preferences; and keyboard and … Read more

With a June unveiling fast approaching, Microsoft continues to refine its Release Preview for Windows 8.

The latest tidbit to emerge about the early version of the forthcoming Windows interface is the apparent inclusion of Metro-style apps for news, sports, and travel, according to The Verge, which cites a screenshot posted to WinUnleaked.tk (registration required). For those of you keeping track, this is from Windows 8 Release Preview with Media Center Build 8400.0.x86fre.winmain_win8rc.120518-1423, according to WinUnleaked.

Last week, we learned of other tweaks and changes in recent internal builds of Windows 8, including the removal … Read more

Microsoft published a "brief" history of the Windows interface in a blog post today that offered some flashes of candor about Vista and Windows 95 and argued that the tablet as we know it today is one device too many. Redmond also said it was dropping Aero Glass.

First and foremost, Microsoft said it has "moved beyond" Aero Glass on the Windows 8 desktop, in Friday's Building Windows 8 post.

"We spent a lot of energy carefully considering how substantially to update the appearance of the desktop in Windows 8...Our primary goal was … Read more

Microsoft is tweaking its core Metro apps for the upcoming Windows 8 Release Preview.

Already showing up in the newest internal builds of Windows 8, the updated apps offer new features, changes to the user interface, and the removal of the "app preview" title, says The Verge. Included in the revamp are the Windows 8 Mail, Calendar, People, and Messaging app; the Photos App, the Music app, and the Microsoft Reader.

Some of the updates are floating about internally at Microsoft but are not available for the Windows 8 beta, aka Consumer Preview. Instead, Microsoft will unveil them … Read more

Those who shell out for a Windows 7 PC in the coming months will receive a discounted upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for just $14.99, according to sources speaking to Paul Thurrott.

The deal could start as early as the first week in June at around the same time as the company gears up for its final preview of the next version of Windows.

The paid upgrade will apply to any new PC buyer with Windows 7 Home Basic or higher installed.

CNET's Mary Jo Foley first reported Microsoft's ongoing commitment to providing PC buyers with … Read more