As many have already stated, Microsoft's preview of Windows 8 was a bit of surprise. The Redmond giant's new operating system is a radical departure from previous versions of Windows, incorporating a user interface that's focused on touch and geared toward tablets.

"Look, what we tried to do with Windows 8 was reimagine what we could do with a PC," said Steven Sinofsky, the head of the Windows and Windows Live division, who previewed Windows 8 at D9, the AllThingsD conference yesterday

In fact, Windows 8 looks a lot like what you see on the Windows Phone : Live tiles everywhere (replacing the traditional Windows icons) and a rich, app-focused experience.

Instead of developing two separate operating systems -- one for desktops and laptops, and one for tablets and smartphones -- Microsoft is gambling that the touch experience can translate to the traditional PC experience. Using Modern Shell (MoSH), users will be able to use their keyboards and mouse to interact with Windows 8 in the same way they might with a tablet. But will this provide a good user experience? Will consumers on PCs readily adopt a new experience over a more traditional version of Windows?

Users will have the option to revert to a traditional user interface from Windows 8 -- which will be the default on all Windows 8 PCs -- as well as access files in a more traditional way (the file folder pops up in an app-like fashion).

For tablet users, the new OS could be fantastic. Building on its commitment to develop a seamless and connected app experience, Microsoft has built in capabilities that allow you to share information between apps, tiles with live notifications, a feature called Windows Snap, which let you view (and resize) multiple apps on the screen at one time (hello multi-tasking) and touch-optimized browsing on Internet Explorer 10. For touchscreen devices, it also includes a split touch keyboard that allows you to type with your thumbs (similar to Android and Apple devices).

Mary Jo Foley with ZDnet raised a good point: If you're a developer, do you now write apps to work with Windows 8 "legacy" mode or Windows 8 touch mode? Microsoft said developers will be able to build applications in both HTML 5 and JavaScript.

Sinofsky refused to name a release date, but said the product could possibly launch in time for the holidays. He said it's typical that Microsoft releases a new version of Windows every two or three years and the last release was in October 2009.

For a visual walk-through, check out PCMag's overview.

What do you think?