btarunrHere are some of the first visuals of the retail packaging of Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 operating system. The boxes, for the first time in Windows history, will take a landscaped cuboid shape as opposed to portrait cuboid shape (as with most packaged software). The box art reveals the windows logo opening up to a background abstract art. The white box above is for the standard Windows 8 variant, while the dark one is for Windows 8 Pro. The retail package should be available starting October 26, 2012.

www.techpowerup.com/img/12-08-07/42a_thm.jpg

Source: The Verge

Any news on the stand alone price and not the upgrade price?

btarunrThe boxes, for the first time in Windows history, will take a landscaped cuboid shape as opposed to portrait cuboid shape (as with most packaged software).

I wonder what shape the discs are, discoid? :laugh:

Some news is not news worthy:)

Looks good. Too bad the OS doesn't. I don't mean any particular part but the way it just doesn't all come together and looks like parts of it were made by different companies. They should have redesigned the desktop not make it look like windows 95. The windows desktop with slightly enlarged and redesigned buttons can work flawlessly for touch. If they would have made a good desktop there would be no need for that stupid metro, or whatever they call it now, stuff. BTW if they are so proud of that stupid thing why didn't they make it easily accessible from the desktop? Instead of removing the start button they could have changed it with a metro button, that would have been something to make those two parts work together...

I think I saw a similar box design back in the 90's. Ugly ass box.

Needs moar shiny!

That is ugly as CRAP! Looks like they are going backwards in design, hell looks like a pre win 95 design....horrible!
Then again Win8 looks horrible....guess it fits like a glove in that respect =P

firing the graphic designer in 3...2...1...

I like the design. Simple and to the point. Almost boarders on deco.

sparkyarfiring the graphic designer in 3...2...1...

I think you are giving too much credit to calling the person/people that. :laugh:

TheMailMan78Any news on the stand alone price and not the upgrade price?

I also want to know this. Anything over £40 and I'm not going to bother.

WhiteLotusI also want to know this. Anything over £40 and I'm not going to bother.

If it stays under 100 bucks I'm ok with that.

win 3,11 2012 style

TheMailMan78If it stays under 100 bucks I'm ok with that.

for a standalone? Hmm yea I suppose. Though they have a student deal over here and that's how much I got w7 for. I don't want to go above last models pricing.

I'll never see the box, because I buy the system builders OEM version. It's usually half the price. :toast: Of course I'm a system builder... Not everybody has the talent to build a system and save half the price of the OS. :rolleyes:

EDIT: Does the box set still let you install it on 3 machines?

that box was designed by a committee...

You can teach...monkeys to design boxes better than that.

$100 for standalone is a good price if it comes to fruition but I won't upgrade for at least a year. Got to let MS works the kinks out first. Win7 has been rock solid.

Looks like it was designed by Adobe.

MindweaverI'll never see the box, because I buy the system builders OEM version. It's usually half the price. :toast: Of course I'm a system builder... Not everybody has the talent to build a system and save half the price of the OS. :rolleyes:

EDIT: Does the box set still let you install it on 3 machines?

The "box set" (aka retail) never let you install it on three machines. The Family pack let you do that, but afaik that was three licenses for the price of one. OEM's are limited to one machine. New machine (generally motherboard), new license, so if you want to stick to the EULAs and suchlike and upgrade/switch machines often retail is the way to go.

EDIT: Not sure why people complain about the looks. It's not as if you'll look at it a lot, and it looks quite stylished. I like that.

I actually like the box design like what mailman said. It looks artistic and I like that. I guess people like bland looking boxes for products that has all the same colors.

FrickThe "box set" (aka retail) never let you install it on three machines. The Family pack let you do that, but afaik that was three licenses for the price of one. OEM's are limited to one machine. New machine (generally motherboard), new license, so if you want to stick to the EULAs and suchlike and upgrade/switch machines often retail is the way to go.

EDIT: Not sure why people complain about the looks. It's not as if you'll look at it a lot, and it looks quite stylished. I like that.

Aw yea the family pack.. couldn't think of what it was called. I know the EULA. When I buy a new motherboard it's usually time for a new OS.. ;) That is for me anyway. :toast:

MindweaverAw yea the family pack.. couldn't think of what it was called. I know the EULA. When I buy a new motherboard it's usually time for a new OS.. ;) That is for me anyway. :toast:

If so OEM's are great. Me I don't use a computer for more than six months before upgrading/downgrading/etc so yeah.. Retail for me.

Those boxes look pants, just like Metro and the non-Aero desktop.

IMO, the best looking OS, including the packaging was Vista. Shame the performance was so bad at first that it got a terrible reputation which it never shook off, causing Microsoft to move away from this look.

I don't know about you, but to me, this doesn't look like packaging for software to be taken seriously, since it seems to be more concerned with making an abstract arty statement, rather than indicating something that powers the vast majority of the world's computers. It certainly isn't marketed at business users that's for sure, which is the market segment that has made Microsoft's fortunes up to now. We'll soon know if Microsoft made the right design decisions with Windows 8, by measuring its success in an unforgiving marketplace.

FrickIf so OEM's are great. Me I don't use a computer for more than six months before upgrading/downgrading/etc so yeah.. Retail for me.

I like to upgrade every 6 months as well, but if I need to upgrade my motherboard I usually give the old system to a family member or friend or put it in my WCG Farm (Currently 26 machines).. ;) So, I just pick up a new OEM then, plus I have a "TechNet Professional Subscription" as well. ;)