Microsoft Scrambles for Relevance
Microsoft Corp. will host a conference for developers this week where Windows 8 and other new products will be unveiled. But there are things we'd love to see at the event but won't. Reuters

Microsoft is planning to disclose details and information about its forthcoming Windows 8 operating system in the coming weeks.

Microsoft will take a week to prepare developers and customers and has called it the most significant evolution of its OS since it released Windows 95, which brought a Task Bar and Start Menu, more than 15 years ago.

“Building the next release of Microsoft Windows is an industrywide effort that Microsoft approaches with a strong sense of responsibility and humility,” Windows Division President Steven Sinofksy said in a blog post Tuesday. “Windows 8 reimagines Windows for a new generation of computing devices, and will be the very best operating system for hundreds of millions of PCs, new and old, used by well over a billion people globally.”

Microsoft, however, is not certain about the OS’s final version, but Sinofsky has said that the official blog will be the forum through which the company executives will talk about the recent developments.

“For the Windows team, this blog is an important part of developing Windows 8, as was our blog for Windows 7. Blogging allows us to have a two-way dialog with you about design choices, real-world data and usage, and new opportunities that are part of Windows 8,” Sinofsky said.

A first hands-on look at the new OS will be provided for the developers at Microsoft's BUILD conference in Anaheim, Calif., next month. It is also expected the company will launch Windows 8 in the first half of 2012, though an exact date has not been confirmed.

“We showed you a preview of Windows 8 in June, demonstrating the user experience and providing an update on ARM SoC support,” Sinofsky confirmed. “The next major event for Windows is our BUILD conference in September, where we will provide developers with more details about the full spectrum of tools and capabilities available to make the most of Windows 8. This blog is a chance for us to discuss the details and provide a behind the scenes look at the evolution of Windows 8.”

Sinofsky also said that the company is aware of complaints over how little the company has communicated so far about Windows 8, but said the company has learned its lessons over the years about the dangers of talking about features beforehand, according to an official Microsoft blog.

Windows 8 will arrive with a new Start screen which is similar to the one in Windows Phone 7, and will include live application tiles. The new OS will come with new developer platform, which will based on HTML5 and JavaScript, according to Microsoft Vice President Julie Larson-Green.

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