For PCs and tablets: Windows 8

The phrase every dog has its day may well apply to Microsoft this year, with 2012 potentially being Windows 8’s time in the sun. More than updating its already successful Windows 7 platform, the company has been in need of an unique offering to enable it to compete with Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android on the tablet front. Additionally, it needs to make up for lost time, as the company undeniably fell behind its rivals in the tablet race during 2011, with Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android platform taking the lead.

For starters, Windows 8 brings an attractive new Metro interface to the table (familiar to those who’ve used Windows Phone), which is far more modern than its previous iterations. Most importantly, while Metro can be navigated with a mouse and keyboard, it has been designed to serve as a touch interface as well.

As on Windows Phone 7, the operating system centres around using live tiles. These can accommodate everything from different apps, files, media players to links and RSS feeds. The tiles will also be able to provide information without needing to first be opened. Additionally, apps will be able to work together;
practical applications of this could include attaching a photo to an email from a variety of locations, such as Facebook or Flickr, as well as one’s hard drive. From what we’ve seen, it’s an intuitive and enjoyable experience.

Already two companies, Nokia and HP, are banking on Windows 8, as both have expressed their intention to create tablet’s running on Microsoft’s new platform. Meanwhile, Microsoft is hard at work enticing developers to turn their attention to developing apps for Windows 8 – by offering them a greater  percentage of profits than afforded by the Android or Apple App Store once they reach a certain level of sales.

Windows 8 is still in beta version and there is a good hope that it will give more flexibility to users on its final launch !!