YES, folks! It’s finally here! It’s the week that will see Microsoft launch Windows 8, spearheading its massive 2012 product launch schedule, it’s keystone of the ‘Three Screens & Cloud’ play. And this is where we see how it’s all going to pan out.

Windows 8 will be at the centre of these launches, not just because it’s Windows, but because with it, we will see a whole host of services light up to enable the entire ecosystem.
How well Microsoft can pull PC, console and phone together will rest on its ability to leverage cloud technologies to help enable a seamless experience across them all.
Windows 8 is vibrant and beautiful; the Start screen is the new face of Windows. Each tile on the Start screen is connected to a person, app, or whatever else is important to you, and lights up with the latest info. I was thrilled last Saturday when I got my fingers for the first time on this spectacular operating system. It is indeed revolutionary for both home and business PCs. What more is breath-taking about this software? Sleek and lightweight, with fast start-up times, and long battery life, the Windows 8 PC is built for work and play. If you prefer a touchscreen, a mouse and keyboard, or both, there’s a perfect PC for you. One can go from full-screen game to spreadsheet in one swipe, or snap them side-by-side and do both. Catch up with friends, zip through your files, and get things done faster than ever. Is this real? Yes! And it’s all happening now!
Microsoft will offer only three versions, two for Intel-based PCs (Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro) and Windows 8 RT for ARM-based tablets like the Microsoft Surface. The new OS offers both a traditional desktop interface and the Metro-style touch-friendly UI.
Windows 8 already contains more than 300 new features. At its Build developer’s conference, Microsoft pointed to plans to keep adding more new capabilities until Windows 8 evolves into a shipping product. Which of the existing features are most important to get to know about right now?
While no list like this can even approach ‘all-inclusiveness’, my list of ten key features in Windows 8 ranges across new jargon such as “charms” and “snap multi-tasking” to first-time operability on ARM-based tablets, to major improvements around support for USB 3.0, touch keyboards, file copying, and more. Here, in no particular order of importance, is the list of ten:

1. Support for both x86 PCs and ARM tablets
Windows 8 is the first edition of Windows to operate on both ARM-based tablets and traditional x86 PCs based on ARM processors forIntel and AMD.

2. Touch-centric, Tiles-based User Interface (UI)
Although Windows 8 might look and feel like an entirely new “user experience,” Microsoft is actually layering a new animation-enabled user interface (UI) on top of an only somewhat upgraded Windows 7.

3. Charms
In large part, ‘charms’ is a new implementation of the traditional Windows start bar. Charms can also be used to quickly configure settings for individual apps. On an ordinary non-touch PC, charms are accessed by dragging the mouse to the bottom-left corner of the screen to the same spot as the old Windows start button. On a tablet, you swipe from the right side of the screen to bring up charms.

4. Snap multi-tasking
‘Snap multitasking” is designed to make it easy to run two apps in Windows 8 side by side, to resize them, and to switch between them. On the right-hand side of the screen, you can snap an app into place.

5. Windows 8 Control Panel
Beyond revamping the Windows task manager, Microsoft has also redesigned the control panel for Windows 8. New options include Personalize, Users, Wireless, Notifications, General, Privacy, Search, and Share.

6. Web Navigation by Touch
The Internet Explorer (IE) 10 browser built into Windows 8 is designed to offer faster browsing through greater hardware acceleration, along with rapid gesture-based zoom, pan, and Web site navigation.

7. Two Touch Keyboards
Windows 8 also contains two soft keyboards: an “enhanced” traditional keyboard, plus a new thumbs keyboard for non-touch typists.

8. Enhanced Copy Experience
Windows 8 also introduces the ability to perform all current copy operations into a single dialog box, instead of requiring you to perform file copying in separate dialog boxes for each app.

9. Native USB 3.0 Support
New USB 3.0 ports operate at speeds up to ten times faster than SB 2.0. To better support these speeds, Microsoft is outfitting Windows 8 with native USB 3.0 drivers.

10. Better Support for Multiple Monitors
Windows 8 also brings increased support for multiple monitors. The Developers Preview of the new OS includes first-time capabilities for extending the taskbar across two PCs, without any need for third-party apps. You can also stretch wallpaper across two monitors, or display the Start screen on one PC and the desktop on the other, for instance.
While it would be great to hear more about this tie up during the Windows 8 launch, the company may hold that one back for the full launch of Windows Phone 8 tomorrow (October 29th 2012). After all, there is so much we do know about the next version of the mobile OS, that having a few surprises might be a good thing, eh?