Windows 8 targets tablet market

Microsoft on Tuesday pulled back the curtain on new Windows computer operating software designed to power not only personal computers but also rivals to Apple's iPad. Windows division president Steven Sinofsky stressed touchscreen tablets as he boasted of the diverse types of hardware that Windows 8 will run after its official release. Sinofsky was part of a Microsoft team that provided an in-depth look at Windows 8 to software developers at a Build conference the US technology giant is holding in southern California. "We re-imagined Windows," Sinofsky said. "From the chipset to the user experience, Windows 8 brings a new range of capabilities without compromise." Windows 8 was crafted to allow all kinds of computers to be controlled with taps or swipes of screens, gestures familiar to owners of smartphones or tablet computers. The operating system was also designed to let separate applications work together and to synchronise files across various Windows 8 devices. Spectrum of devices Sinofsky demonstrated the point by having a picture taken on a camera-enabled desktop computer pop up on a tablet. "Windows 8 works beautifully across a spectrum of devices, from ten-inch tablets and laptops to all-in-ones with 27-inch high-definition screens," Microsoft said. Windows 8 was shaping up to be Microsoft's answer to criticism that it had ceded the tablet computer space to Google's Android platform and Apple, which has dominated a market it ignited with the release of the iPad. Microsoft was so eager to get independent developers working on applications for Windows 8 that it gave tablet computer prototypes to each of the 5,000 Build attendees so they could begin tinkering with the software. The week-long gathering will be crammed with sessions at which developers will be tutored in nuances of building applications for Windows 8. Software savants unable to attend Build are able to download developer copies of Windows 8 at dev.windows.com. Windows 8 has to hit several more milestones before a polished version of the software will be released to hardware makers for installation in devices heading for market. Quality "This is a pre-release product," Sinofsky said. "You saw some little snafus today; there are going to be more of them." Windows 8 will be refined and updated with the help of feedback from developers. Microsoft declined to predict when a final version would be ready for release. "We are going to be driven by the quality not the date and just be focused on building applications right now," Sinofsky said.