On Wednesday, at the All Things Digital’s D9 Microsoft’s Windows chief, Steven Sinofsky took the stage giving us the first look to the next generation of Windows code-named Windows 8.

Windows 8 was designed with the goal in mind of users having the same experience, whether they are using a small screen tablet or with a really powerful desktop with a huge monitor display.

In the conference Steven Sinofsky revealed lots of details and it showcased the new Windows 8 UI (User Interface). This new version of Windows supports two types of applications, the classic Windows applications, like the ones you run everyday in Windows 7, and the new HTML5 Web apps which they look pretty much like mobile apps and they are fully optimized for full-screen and touch — like having a giant phone in your desktop –. Windows 8 also brings a much improved touch screen software technology that makes easier the navigation in Windows.

Windows 8 new interface comes with a totally redesigned start screen that is based in the Metro design, like the user interface in the new Windows Phone 7, and once the user logs in there isn’t anymore an empty desktop, a new live title-based start menu appears where users can view all the programs and other stuff in groups, they are really easy to customize and navigate using touch. Internet Explorer 10 playing a big role in Windows 8, has already been reconfigured to run more integrated in the operating system and with touch, as it has several widget-like apps, e.g., weather and stocks prices.

“We really did take a step back after Windows 7,”. “We were clearly influenced ourselves by phones.” -Steven Sinofsky said at D9 conference. Microsoft has also improved its classic Windows desktop look and feel to be more effective for users using touch based devices. The giant of software wants classics desktop applications that are designed for the mouse and keyboard peripherals, but they also want to work well with touch devices.

One thing that Steven Sinofsky has noted is that the Windows 8 will not require any additional hardware, if you are running Windows 7 you can later run Windows 8 — once again Microsoft is creating a new operating system that demands fewer resources than in previous versions –. This new operating system from Microsoft will also run in ARM chips besides of the traditional Intel and AMD. For now the company is calling the next version of Windows by its code-name Windows 8, but there could be more code-names later down the road like Firestorm.

If you are already asking yourself, when are you going to get your hands on this new OS? Seat back, relax and wait, because there is no much details as when Windows 8 is going to ship. One thing for sure is that it will not be this fall… More details are scheduled to be released at a developer conference in mid-September in Anaheim, California.

Take a look at the first official video of Windows 8:

Key points of Windows 8 in this first look:

  • Fast launching of apps from a tile-based Start screen, which replaces the Windows Start menu with a customizable, scalable full-screen view of apps.
  • Live tiles with notifications, showing always up-to-date information from your apps.
  • Fluid, natural switching between running apps.
  • Convenient ability to snap and resize an app to the side of the screen, so you can really multitask using the capabilities of Windows.
  • Web-connected and Web-powered apps built using HTML5 and JavaScript that have access to the full power of the PC.
  • Fully touch-optimized browsing, with all the power of hardware-accelerated Internet Explorer 10.

Here are some screenshot of Windows 8 from the D9 conference:

Watch the highlight of Steven Sinofsky talking about Windows 8 and more at D9 conference:

  • Watch the full Microsoft’s Windows 8 demo at D9 conference [Video]

What is your opinion about the next version of Windows? Be the first to leave a comment!

Source All Things D & Microsoft News Center