Windows 8 leaks point to facial recognition, app store, Mac envy |
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Windows 8 leaks point to facial recognition, app store, Mac envy
All the Windows blogs are abuzz today with what appears to be the first real glimpse of Microsoft's early plans for Windows 8, thanks to a treasure trove of internal slides that somehow leaked onto the Internet.
Microsoft isn't commenting on the documents, but they look legitimate. The slides are no longer available on the Microsoft Journal blog, which some sites are crediting with breaking the story, but Microsoft Kitchen has them in all their glory for your perusal and enjoyment.
These look like early planning documents, and they should be read with that in mind -- not so much blueprints for the new OS but rather insights into the way the company is thinking about Windows 8 at this point. The "Microsoft Confidential" stamps note that the documents are for discussion, not a "plan of record."
With those caveats in mind, here is what caught my attention.
One of the more interesting features discussed in the documents is the ability to log in via facial recognition. This is an example of something we've talked about here in the past, the extension of natural users interfaces to home and work computers, with Microsoft's Kinect (previously Project Natal) being an early example of the trend.
Also notable is what's being dubbed an App Store for Windows, going by the name "Windows Store" in the slides. It looks like the idea is to apply to traditional PCs some of the characteristics of the app stores that have become popular on mobile phones. The documents cite advantages for consumers including the ability to find good apps from a trusted source, and move them easily from machine to machine. For software developers, the benefits would include reaching a global audience.
Among other notes, the slides indicate an a new "Logoff and Hibernate" mode that combines energy efficiency with a fast startup. The documents also show an August 2010 release of the first beta of Internet Explorer 9, the next version of Microsoft's browser.
And finally, in the category of "some things never change," apparently, there's the slide showing "How Apple does it," citing the willingness of people to pay a premium for products that are uncomplicated and just work.
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