Microsoft is busy testing its new operating system, Windows 8, for the different platforms that it is going to run on. The operating system, for the first time, is being made compatible with different hardware platforms and processor architectures. For example, the same operating system will be made to run on a stand alone personal computer, and also on tablets, which have a completely different hardware.

Also, for the first time in the history of Windows, Microsoft has completely redesigned the interface with the inclusion of the infamous Metro UI, which was first found on the new mobile operating system by Microsoft, the Windows Phone 7. The developers’ preview and the consumer preview versions of the operating system have already been released and are available as free downloads to anyone who is interested in testing them. But a few features are not yet available, such as the online Store. But you can get a pretty good idea of what you can expect from the final release of the operating system, coming later this year.

But the one problem that Microsoft will face is the upgradation problem. People will not want to invest on Windows 7 now and again upgrade to Windows 8 not even a year before, again paying a lot of money. This is what happened when Microsoft released Windows 7, people were still using Windows XP and were not wiling to invest again on Windows 7.

To avoid this kind of a situation again, Microsoft has let out a very sweet offer. The upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 8 is going to be just $15 for a customer. So people can now buy new computers with Windows 7 on them knowing that the upgradation will not cost them a fortune again. Microsoft had to do this to save its market share against the many Linux distros available and Apple’s Mac. Also, the orders for new licenses for Windows 7 have started dropping for Microsoft, indicating users concerns for upgrading. Well, here you have it now, only $15 for the upgrade. What do you think now?

Source:http://thedroidguy.com/2012/05/microsoft-to-offer-windows-8-upgrade-for-just-15/

Microsoft is set to offer its own range of tweaked, bloatware-free ‘Signature’ Windows 8 PCs, according to a report by Computerworld.

The Signature service – which is already available for Windows 7 desktops and laptops in the US, but not in Australia as far as we can see – removes bloatware, software trials and other superfluous programs from third-party systems.

In other words, it saves you the trouble of uninstalling unwanted software from your new Windows PC. Whether your PC was made by Dell, HP, Acer, Samsung or select other vendors, Microsoft Signature helps to ensure your machine is performance-optimised from the moment you boot up.

“Each PC we sell is configured by Microsoft engineers to operate at each model’s peak performance level. From start-up to shut down or waking the computer from sleep, you’ll notice the performance advantage,” claims the Microsoft Signature website.

The Signature treatment for Windows 7 is a free service which also lets you customise software and comes with 90 days of free phone support (US only).

Microsoft Signature has been advertised in the past in Australia, as part of a limited offer with Dell laptops. Hopefully Windows 8 will see the service get a wider push. After all, Microsoft has a lot riding on Windows 8, so it’s in the company’s interest to give consumers as smooth a ride as possible.

Source:http://www.pcauthority.com.au/News/301574,report-microsoft-wants-windows-8-systems-to-be-bloatware-free.aspx

Windows 8 may be the most significant reimagining of Microsoft’s OS in more than 15 years, but it still won’t change one eternal rule of Microsoft-powered PCs: wherever Windows goes, bloatware follows. Microsoft and its users have long complained to hardware makers about the amount of extra software that manufacturers include with Windows PCs such as extra media-playing software or trial versions of antivirus programs.

It sounds like the bloatware wars will favor users when Windows 8 launches later this year. But extra software may still creep onto your new Dell, HP, or Lenovo PC, even though Microsoft is reportedly getting ready to take on Windows 8 bloat.

Signature Upgrades

To fight off bloatware, Microsoft plans to offer Windows 8 users its $99 Signature Upgrade service available at Microsoft Stores across the U.S., according to PCWorld’s sister site Computerworld. Signature upgrade is an extension of the Microsoft Store’s Signature PC program that offers Windows 7 PCs tweaked for speed and performance, and the devices come without any manufacturer bloatware. If you didn’t buy your PC from the Microsoft Store, all you have to do is walk into one of the software maker’s 22 retail locations in the U.S., plunk down a hundred bucks, and a day or two later your bloat-free PC is ready to go.

Microsoft says compared to a regular PC, a Signature PC can go to sleep 23.1 percent faster, starts-up 39.6 percent faster, and can resume 51.3 percent sooner.

Metro and Bloatware

To get onto your computer, most Metro apps have to be approved by Microsoft and then distributed through the Windows Store, similar to how you download apps for your iPhone, Android or Windows Phone device. But it’s not clear whether the Windows Store would curb or prohibit device makers from installing Metro-style bloatware before their PCs ship.

Metro and Peripherals

Even if Metro-style bloatware rears its ugly head, Microsoft is trying to keep peripherals from filling up your machine with unneeded junk. Microsoft is pushing makers of webcams, printers, cameras, and other devices to focus on supporting the Metro side of Windows 8 instead of the traditional desktop.

In Microsoft’s ideal scenario, you would connect your new Canon all-in-one printer to your PC and then Windows 8 would automatically download Canon’s supporting app from the Windows Store. Microsoft in September said it would limit hardware makers to offering just one Metro app per external device.

Of course, in an ideal world most of your peripherals wouldn’t bother with supporting apps at all. Do you really need that snazzy interface from Iomega to use your external hard drive? I didn’t think so. The good news is deleting a Metro-style app will be a fairly easy process, so if you don’t want an HP specially-designed printer interface, you can nuke it pretty quickly.

Windows 8 is expected to launch on new PCs around October 2012. A second consumer preview of the new OS is expected in the first week of June.

Source:http://www.pcworld.in/news/windows-8-microsoft-tries-rein-crapware-72082012