Windows 8 Release to Manufacturing

The good: Windows 8 embraces the future wholeheartedly. Log-in and boot times are fast, the apps look gorgeous, and the Sync feature brings seamless transition between devices.

The bad: The learning curve is steep and in-app navigation isn't obvious. There are just too many known unknowns here.

The bottom line: Microsoft makes an aggressive, forward-thinking and bold statement statement for the future of PCs with Windows 8, and vast security and speed improvements more than justify the $40 upgrade price.

Microsoft's vision for the future of computers builds a new world for Windows. It works well with a mouse and keyboard, and it's great with touch screens. It lusts for apps, lives for sync, and loves real-time updates. But you better believe it'll take some time to get used to it all.

Since Microsoft debuted its vision for Windows 8 to the world at its Build 2011 conference, we have watched the themes that drive Windows 8 slowly gestate. The new operating system applies the lessons of mobile to the personal computer in a way that's absolutely innovative. Connectivity, cloud access to personal files, seamless updates, and a simple interface all come together in Windows 8.

A full CNET comparison between Windows 8 and Apple's OS X Mountain Lion will be forthcoming, but for now it's interesting to note two major differences. Apple's approach to sync integration with iCloud and app updates is much more cautious than Microsoft's cross-device Hail Mary. This isn't surprising, given that Apple is the lion's share of the tablet market, with the iPad claiming a 70 percent share.

However, Google's clunky, robotic missteps on tablets have handed an opening to Microsoft to stomp in and grab the No. 2 spot. The "lite" version of Windows 8, Windows RT, will come withthe New Microsoft Office pre-installed, and Windows Phone 8 will offer a Windows 8-styled interface coupled to robust sync features. And the company is pushing tablet makers with its own innovative Surface tablets. Basically, Redmond wants to build one Windows to rule them all.

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Intel to focus on Ultrabooks, Windows 8 at forum

ntel will put its large spotlight on Ultrabook laptops and Windows 8, among other technologies, at its annual developer conference next week.

In a keynote on September 14, Mooly Eden, general manager of the PC client group at Intel, will describe the "transformation of the PC" being driven by Ultrabooks at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF), according to an overview of the forum CNET received from Intel today. IDF begins next Tuesday. 

Lenovo's U300s Ultrabook is extremely thin but boasts relatively long battery life.

(Credit: Lenovo)

Ultrabooks are very light, very thin Windows laptops that compete with the MacBook Air. The core hardware includes Intel second-generation "Sandy Bridge" processors and solid-state drives or, in some cases, hybrid hard disk drives. Meant to emulate tablets in some respects, Ultrabooks are also designed to have instant-on capability and relatively long battery life despite their compact size .

Greg Welch, who heads Intel's Ultrabook group, is expected to lead a session titled "PC Client Platform Innovation," which covers the "shift to smaller form factor PCs which drive new consumer innovations" and "Intel's vision for...this new class of device," according to Intel's IDF Technical Session Catalog abstract.

Another Ultrabook-related session on September 13 states that "delivering [a] substantial increase in battery life mandates a brand new approach to power management in a mobile PC." Another session is entitled "Next Generation Display Technology for Ultrabook," hosted by both Intel and South Korea-based LG.

Windows 8, Microsoft's next major operating system, is also slated to received plenty of attention. A session on September 14 titled "Microsoft Windows 8 on Intel Architecture" will "provide a glimpse into the upcoming release of Microsoft's next operating system release Windows 8," according to an abstract. That session will be led by both an Intel engineer and Microsoft product managers.

And a Q&A session titled "Intel and Microsoft Windows 8" will take place on September 15.

Other sessions will include "Thunderbolt Technology Tutorial: Enabling New and Exciting Products," covering the new connection technology currently being used on Apple's MacBooks; "SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0): Ecosystem and Emerging Device Classes," which covers the latest generation of USB technology; and "Technology Insight: Intel Next Generation Microarchitecture Codename Ivy Bridge," which discusses Intel's next generation of processors due next year.

Other topics in focus will include cloud computing and advances in such areas as "extreme-scale computing, contextual awareness, and near-threshold circuit topologies that dramatically reduce energy consumption."

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