Wednesday, February 29th 2012
Microsoft Announces Availability of Windows 8 Consumer Preview
Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview - the next milestone of the Windows operating system. This latest preview will be made available for download starting today at preview.windows.com. The Windows 8 Consumer Preview offers a more robust experience for testing the world's most popular operating system and is available to the widest range of people yet following the initial release of the Windows 8 Developer Preview late last year. The Developer Preview received more than 3 million downloads.
"With Windows 8, we reimagined the different ways people interact with their PC and how to make everything feel like a natural extension of the device, whether using a Windows 8 tablet, laptop or all-in-one," said Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live Division at Microsoft. "The Windows 8 Consumer Preview brings a no-compromises approach to using your PC."
At a Windows 8 Consumer Preview event in Barcelona that was attended by partners from Europe and around the world, the company shared some key new updates in the Windows 8 Consumer Preview:
- Broad range of product changes and improvements. Since the Developer Preview in September, designed to preview the programming platform, Windows 8 has progressed across every dimension. From completing the user experience for touch, keyboard and mouse to refining the development platform, the Consumer Preview improves performance, quality and reliability across all subsystems. With the added features, it represents a more complete view of the capabilities of Windows 8.
- Windows Store with new apps. The Windows 8 Consumer Preview marks the beta opening of the Windows Store, which is filled with a variety of new Metro style apps from both third-party developers and Microsoft. During the Consumer Preview, these apps are available to try and experience at no cost to users. The Windows Store will offer personalized recommendations, and Windows 8 gives users the ability to take their apps and settings with them across multiple PCs, making it easy to discover and try new apps while offering developers the greatest opportunity of any platform.
- Connecting to the cloud across Windows-based PCs and Windows Phone. The Windows 8 Consumer Preview offers seamless integration with the content people care about across their devices. An optional additional sign-on with a Microsoft account provides access to a host of features, including the ability to roam all settings, use cloud storage, communicate with email, calendar and contacts, and connect to a broad range of services. Your connection to the cloud works across your Windows-based PCs and your Windows Phones.
- Internet Explorer 10 Platform Preview 5. The best way to experience the Web on Windows is with Internet Explorer 10. The browser has been re-imagined to create a new experience designed specifically for Windows 8 devices. It provides an edge-to-edge user interface that is all about less browser and more Web. Fast and fluid, Internet Explorer is hardware-accelerated to enable Web performance.
- Preview of new hardware capabilities. At the event, Microsoft also showcased Windows 8 running on a wide range of new x86- and ARM-based reference hardware. This hardware will be available to select developers for trial and testing as previously announced.
The Windows 8 Consumer Preview will be available worldwide for download in English, French, German, Japanese and simplified Chinese languages. More information about Windows 8 and how to download the Consumer Preview is available at preview.windows.com or windowsteamblog.com/.
"With Windows 8, we reimagined the different ways people interact with their PC and how to make everything feel like a natural extension of the device, whether using a Windows 8 tablet, laptop or all-in-one," said Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live Division at Microsoft. "The Windows 8 Consumer Preview brings a no-compromises approach to using your PC."
- Broad range of product changes and improvements. Since the Developer Preview in September, designed to preview the programming platform, Windows 8 has progressed across every dimension. From completing the user experience for touch, keyboard and mouse to refining the development platform, the Consumer Preview improves performance, quality and reliability across all subsystems. With the added features, it represents a more complete view of the capabilities of Windows 8.
- Windows Store with new apps. The Windows 8 Consumer Preview marks the beta opening of the Windows Store, which is filled with a variety of new Metro style apps from both third-party developers and Microsoft. During the Consumer Preview, these apps are available to try and experience at no cost to users. The Windows Store will offer personalized recommendations, and Windows 8 gives users the ability to take their apps and settings with them across multiple PCs, making it easy to discover and try new apps while offering developers the greatest opportunity of any platform.
- Connecting to the cloud across Windows-based PCs and Windows Phone. The Windows 8 Consumer Preview offers seamless integration with the content people care about across their devices. An optional additional sign-on with a Microsoft account provides access to a host of features, including the ability to roam all settings, use cloud storage, communicate with email, calendar and contacts, and connect to a broad range of services. Your connection to the cloud works across your Windows-based PCs and your Windows Phones.
- Internet Explorer 10 Platform Preview 5. The best way to experience the Web on Windows is with Internet Explorer 10. The browser has been re-imagined to create a new experience designed specifically for Windows 8 devices. It provides an edge-to-edge user interface that is all about less browser and more Web. Fast and fluid, Internet Explorer is hardware-accelerated to enable Web performance.
- Preview of new hardware capabilities. At the event, Microsoft also showcased Windows 8 running on a wide range of new x86- and ARM-based reference hardware. This hardware will be available to select developers for trial and testing as previously announced.
The Windows 8 Consumer Preview will be available worldwide for download in English, French, German, Japanese and simplified Chinese languages. More information about Windows 8 and how to download the Consumer Preview is available at preview.windows.com or windowsteamblog.com/.
50 Comments on Microsoft Announces Availability of Windows 8 Consumer Preview
no seriously can you play games because thats pretty much what id want to test?:)
I have a PC, with a mouse and keyboard, not a smartphone.
On another note:
I'm really dissapointed in this preview(and perhaps windows 8 as a whole) after using this install.
For Metro, I expected to have this nice and useable interface, in which i could do basically all i could at the desktop(with the proper "app" atleast)
Instead i get this 90% useless interface to which i'm bound, since there is no visible and easy way to disable it. Furthermore the apps from which I expected the most, like messenger and mail dont even give 10% of the functions i was used to from windows live essentials. And then when you think, ah well, i'll just log off, there doesnt seem to be a way to actually log off, only appear offline. This interface is fine, for my phone, but for my PC I want to be able to do a lot more than that it currently offers me.
If only they included the simple "shutdown Metro UI" option, everything would've been fine, but this... I guess we'll have to wait for the "windows 8 professional review", or atleast some news about some version of win 8 having the option of turning that darn interface off.
This is coming from someone that was really positive about win 8 untill today
Basically a Vista 2.0 .. or Win ME 3.0 if you want. Just with more big brother added to the mix.
I'll probably do a "know your enemy" kinda install in a VM or on a test box, but other than that? Hell no..
I'm sitting in front of a god damn computer. NOT a f%§/$% tablet FFS.
I sincerely hope Win8 will end up as an epic fail.. hopefully even more than Vista.. and MS gets their sh*t together after that..
Win7 is what.. 3 years old now? And they're already cutting down stuff for it (Windows Live gallery for widgets and stuff is basically gone.. not that I care too much but c'mon..after 3 years? really?!) and they were about to cut support for most versions in January 2015, but just recently changed that into January 2020 .. they probably realized how ridiculous this would've been after a complaint-sh*tstorm or something.
Wouldnt you want it to be epic instead?
And imho, win8 isnt like vista at all, vista was bad because it was a resource hog at that time(that problem was over after a while however, and uptill now, its quite an OK OS).
Windows 8 is really nice, the hardware management is great, the support is great, and the speed at which things run is also great, untill you realise you're stuck with the interface. Its potentially a great OS, with some worthwhile advantages over win7, but then the interface just ruins your day as a desktop poweruser.
@Mathragh,
The Windows key + i will bring up the logoff/restart/shutdown.
You can always try though.
I think im going to still Reformat my main HD, but keep just W7 on it.
Going to have to download driver for stuff :banghead:
I truly hope that Metro is easily disabled in the final product, and Microsoft is just pushing the crap out of it in the previews to get people to actually use it and give feedback on it. Because for desktop use Metro is totally useless, but it works great on tablets.
*Nevermind, found it.
My pc isn't a phone! My phones a phone dam it!
mashable.com/2012/02/08/windows-8-consumer-preview-event/#25769Windows-8-Lock-Screen
It also let me install the latest WHQL Nvidia drives without an issue and bizarrely, Portal 1 which was stuttering all over the place in windows 7 is now smooth???? I have played Alan Wake, Portal, Skyrim and FIFA 12 all without issues.
It also created a smaller default page file and I reckon once people get used to how the new interface works it's going to be a winner!! :)
EDIT - It seems with DX11 games it is giving me 59.9Hz maximum refresh rate as opposed to the 60Hz it should be (Which is set in Nvidia CP and monitor settings). This is causing syncing issues with DX11 games for me. World Of Warcraft is stuttering whereas before it was smooth. Also BFBC2 in DX11 60Hz is not an option. DX9 Games are running beautifully at 60Hz.
Anyone have a solution?
EDIT 2 - Going to try reinstalling WoW, just to note I'm running 295.73 WHQL via HDMI.