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Microsoft gave a sneak peak into the new version of Windows the Windows team has been working on. Specifically using the touch ideology and key assets of their unique but unpopular phone operating system (Windows Phone 7), Microsoft is overhauling their aging operating system to compete against the rise of post-pc devices (tablets). What is striking about this new operating system is how it deals with multitasking. On other tablets, such as the iPad and the Motorola Xoom, users are bound to using only one application at a time. With Windows 8, users will be able to run multiple apps at the same time using unique gestures. Users can designate what portion of the screen he or she wants a specific app to run, and then can use the rest of the screen to run other applications. Windows 8 does feel like a metro skin on top of Windows 7, for users can switch back to the “classic” desktop experience at a flick of a switch. It does seem that this new experience is just a “skin” on top of an existing operating system, which is bad to say the least. Also, users are going to be confused by having to use two fundamentally different types of interactivity with their computer. Windows 7 is fundamentally a “folder” operating system, in which everything is put into folders. Files are in folders, applications are packaged in folders, when browsing the computer, users have to dig through folders to find files. This new Metro UI was designed to be “post-pc” in which users don’t have to see folders or files at all. By combining the two, users will have a hard time figuring out how to organize and use their computer. Microsoft has taken a large step into the new world of post-pc devices, but it has a lot of work to do in order to truly have a post-pc operating system. Microsoft has not announced a release date but has stated that this new operating system will work on computers, laptops, and tablets.

Source: allthingsd