Two scenes:
-A couple of days ago, a friend asked me to send him a text message. Seconds later, a very natural voice, reads out the written message. No robot or virtual nuances, just a voice with perfect diction.
-On another meeting I witness how several adolescents take turns to compete on a Kinect dance game. The interesting part is how their moves are remotely tracked and how they remotely select options to navigate menus with simple hands/arm movements.
I certainly expect Windows 8 to allow for physical remote controlling most of the programs I use, and to integrate that with voice recognition/control (the way parrot nowadays does in cars). I'd like to walk around my office while dictating whatever I'd like to write and also permitting fast internet navigation... freed from a mouse or a keyboard.
Team those long promised advances with already ubiquitous touch commands... and then customers will have the URGE to move to Windows 8 for use at the office, homes and most everywhere really.
If Microsoft and Intel are not already heavily investing their best techs and big money in this, they'll soon be losing the race.
Those three new controlling ways (remote, voice, touch) are defining big advances already coming out... and are going to drive those firms who want to be part of the enormous technological and scientific change taking place in most any area.
(Did anyone saw the remote controlling teamed with holograms recently shown?)
Ok, possibly at 2012 Windows 8 wont provide all these functions, but I hope it lays the needed basis, so I am able to later buy Kinect 2 plus install the able GUI upgrade, all into an OS that does it efficiently from start.
I already run on W7 64 bits and if Microsoft don't deliver this time. Apple or Android surely soon will... Everyone really, the only real remaining question is time, When?
W8 sales and adoption rates will depend much on the answer to this question.