Microsoft released a video last week giving people a chance to see what Windows 8 is going to look like and how it will function. Here are my thoughts on what we have been able to see so far.

The interface is very like Windows Phone 7 rather than Windows 7. The start screen has a series of tiles that represent the various programs and applications that you have installed on your machine. One good feature about using tiles rather than icons is that you can put more information into a tile. So rather than just being able to click on a Calendar icon to open the application you can see details of your schedule within the tile, giving users a better overall experience.

Microsoft have created a new development platform based on HTML 5 and Javascript that should allow new applications that are based on touch. This is really forward thinking to my mind, bearing in mind how often Microsoft seem to be playing catch up nowadays. There is a real emphasis on touchscreen throughout the video and it appears to only pay lip service to desktop users. I do wonder how effective this interface will be when used with a standard keyboard and mouse.

One nice feature is “snapping”. This allows a user to switch between tasks by swiping from the side. The last app to be used is then brought onto the screen, but the current app continues to utilise most of the display real estate. Think about picture in picture functionality on a TV. The user can then decide the scaling of the two apps so that either can be larger or they can both be the same size on your screen.

Windows 8 will ship with Internet Explorer 10 and again this seems to be being aimed at the tablet market as there is more talk about it having a touch first UI. There is also a touchscreen keyboard to help with entering URL’s and this can be split in two to give a more ergonomic experience.

As usual Windows 8 will allow you to use your existing applications with it. You will also be able to access other machines on your local network, though this is hardly ground breaking technology.

The video finishes off with a pledge that they will be showing us all more features over the next year which may indicate that Windows 8 is due to launch in Q1 2012.

As the owner of an LG Optimus phone that runs Windows Phone 7 then I would say that this is an enhancement on that OS. It is certainly a brave choice to move away from what people are used to. People are notoriously fickle and even within the tech community, a community who you would expect to embrace change, I hear a lot of murmurings about how it is too different .

The entire video focuses on the touchscreen aspect of Windows 8 and does not demonstrate how it will work on a desktop. Now I have a theory about this. Either they have not yet created the functionality for running on a desktop or eventually Windows 8 will be aimed at the tablet and smartphone market. If you look at Google they are currently running Android alongside Chrome, Apple have iOS and MacOS, so could Microsoft also develop two operating systems, one for PC’s and one for mobile devices? It will almost certainly be the case that in the future desktop PC’s will become the preserve of the office, geeks and gamers while the majority of the population who do not need the full functionality of a PC will be using tablets. So it could make sense to have an OS for the two types of devices. Time will tell.

I would love to hear your views on the new Windows 8 video teaser, leave me a comment. If you have not yet seen the video you can view it here.