Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is really working up the Microsoft fans over at their Developers Forum Event in Japan. Firstly he said there will be 500 new features in the next Windows Phone 7 update, Mango, and now he’s confirmed some info on Windows 8 and the possibilities of Windows 8 tablets.
“Windows 7 PCs will sell over 350 million units this year. We’ve done a lot in Windows 7 to improve customer satisfaction. We have a brand new user interface. We’ve added touch, and ink, and speech.”
“And yet, as we look forward to the next generation of Windows systems, which will come out next year, there’s a whole lot more coming. As we progress through the year, you ought to expect to hear a lot about Windows 8. Windows 8 slates, tablets, PCs, a variety of different form factors.”
We’ve seen Windows 7 tablets already, such as the Archos 9 PC Tablet, but to be honest they haven’t been great. Windows 7 wasn’t and isn’t an OS which was designed to work with touchscreen tablets. Ballmer’s words have given us hope that they will be developing Windows 8 as an operating system which is designed to work perfectly on desktops, laptops and touchscreen devices such as tablets.
No features or functions of Windows 8 were mentioned, but Steve did speak of what Microsoft wants to achieve. He says they plan to implement a “natural user interface” which utilises speech, touch and gestures.
“We want smart devices to work the way we work, to recognize us and our actions. Speech recognition, vision, handwriting recognition, touch interfaces, these are all part of the theme.”
Are you excited for the next generation of Windows, along with the possibility of Windows 8 tablets? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment, or message us on Twitter.