Windows 8

Wait a minute. Is this an Apple store?

This week marked a pretty big time for Microsoft. It launched Windows 8 and its new Surface tablet, and it also opened up its first stores -- albeit temporary -- in New York.

But the reaction to all three has been a little mixed. It's uncertain what sort of demand Windows 8 will see, and reviewers say the company's Surface is innovative but lacks apps.

In the stores, meanwhile, there's a little confusion, a little curiosity, and a lot of resemblance to Apple.

The software giant officially unveiled Windows 8 yesterday during a New York event. To … Read more

Microsoft reverses 'Mature' games ban in Euro Windows Store

After a U.S. vs. European ratings snafu, "mature" games will now be allowed in Microsoft's European Windows 8 Store.

According to Gizmodo, the software giant announced today that it would reverse an earlier decision that banned all PEGI 18 games that also received a Mature rating from its European store.

The ban was instated when Microsoft outlined its Windows Store guidelines, which said that ESRB ratings of Adults Only would not be allowed in the U.S. and PEGI 18 ratings would be barred in Europe. The discrepancy between the two regions was based on different … Read more

Windows 8 PCs rated and reviewed

The first wave of Windows 8 PCs is already on sale, and our collection of reviews continues to grow.

We've been benchmarking and field-testing new Windows 8 systems, including all-in-one desktops, traditional clamshell laptops, hybrid PCs with detachable screens, and convertible laptops with displays that flip or twist around to form tabletlike devices. The latest additions include Lenovo's ThinkPad Twist convertible laptop and Acer's high-end Aspire S7.

Some of what we found surprised us, such as how well nontransforming laptops worked with added touch screens, or how important a decent touch pad still was for navigation. The … Read more

Microsoft Surface: Not really a tablet or a laptop

NEW YORK -- Much has been speculated about how well the new Microsoft Surface will fare in the tablet world, particularly against Apple's iPad.

But if consumers flock to the Surface, it won't be because it's an alternative to the iPad. Microsoft's vision for the Surface goes well beyond the traditional tablet market. The company is betting that consumers will want to use the keyboard it's designed for the Surface to create documents, annotate pictures, and more.

And yet, the Surface, which Microsoft launched here today, isn't really a laptop either. The version that … Read more

After 1.2 billion hours of user testing, Windows 8 is good to go

After several years of development, now it's your turn to vote for or against Windows 8 with your wallet. Windows 8 goes on sale around the world at 12:01 a.m. local time, with an upgrade price as low as $39.95.

"This is the best release of Windows ever," Microsoft Windows chief Steven Sinofsky said at the Windows 8 launch event in New York today. He noted that Windows 8 has been heavily road-tested, with 1.24 billion hours of pre-release testing across 190 countries.

Read: Full coverage of Windows 8

Previous … Read more

Windows 8 to officially kick off at 12:01 a.m. Friday

NEW YORK -- Windows 8 finally makes its grand and official entrance tomorrow.

The new OS and an array of supported devices go on sale starting 12:01 a.m. on Friday in all time zones.

At today's Windows 8 event here in New York, CEO Steve Ballmer touted the new OS and the variety of devices that it supports, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and hybrids. Some of the new Windows 8 devices flip, some dock, some convert, and some attach, Ballmer said.

Of course, Microsoft is muscling its way into the tablet market with its own Surface, slated … Read more

Windows 8 is hard! So say 14 'typical users'

A U.K. design firm put Windows 8 under the microscope recently, and users reported some issues with handling the operating system.

The firm in question, Foolproof, had 14 "typical users" try out Windows 8 for the first time to see how they fared using the new-look operating system. This tiny group reportedly consisted of regular Windows users, so they supposedly weren't coming to the Microsoft universe cold.

But Microsoft's new user interface, which largely consists of a series of tiles, ditching the traditional look and feel of Windows, "comes with a huge learning overhead." Foolproof's relatively small number of testers made several observations, including:… Read more

Join CNET's Windows 8 launch coverage on Thursday (live blog)

Live coverage of Microsoft's Windows 8 event

After months of anticipation, preview builds, and hype, Microsoft will formally launch its next-generation operating system, Windows 8, at an event in New York on Thursday.

Windows 8 represents a wholesale change in the user experience, relying on live tiles and a more touch-friendly interface than previous iterations. It's unclear whether consumers will embrace the dramatic changes or shun the software, relying instead on Apple's OS X or the older Windows 7.

What's more clear is that Microsoft has a lot riding on the success of this operating system, … Read more

Microsoft boss confirms more hardware on the way

Microsoft's top brass confirmed that the software giant turned tablet maker plans to develop and build more devices.

Speaking to the BBC News' technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones, Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer said that the company, which will later today debut the Windows 8-powered Surface tablet, will build more devices under its name. (CNET will be live-blogging Microsoft's New York event later this morning.)

Is it fair to say we're going to do more hardware? Obviously we are. We did our first piece of non-Xbox hardware when we launch the Surface. Where we see important opportunities to … Read more