Windows 8 Consumer View unveiled

Microsoft has unveiled the consumer preview of its upcoming Windows 8. It is as well on tablets as on traditional computers, and will replace Microsoft Windows 7, which has sold 525 million copies since it was released three years ago.

Windows 8 features an entirely new interface, called Metro, which borrows heavily from Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform, as well as a slightly updated version of the conventional Windows 7 desktop version that runs in a separate mode.


Microsoft has also redesigned the traditional ‘Start’ button, replacing it with a much more angular design that changes colour depending on which theme a user chooses. The Start menu has become an entire homesecreen, and in desktop mode the Start button is no longer a permanent fixture.


The new Metro interface features ‘Live tiles’ which update users on their contacts social media feeds and show pictures from the device or photo galleries online. It also features a unique ‘semantic zoom’ technology which means that, say, a list of search results changes to give more detailed information as a user zooms in to show a selection of results.