I haven’t yet tried the Windows 8 developer preview, and I doubt I will any time soon, but having looked at the UI in detail and watched walkthroughs, I thought I’d share some of my initial opinions of the OS. 

Perhaps the biggest thing that Microsoft has added to Windows 8 is Metro UI; this takes the UI design philosophy from Windows Phone 7 and simply applies it to the desktop. When I first saw screenshots, I was fairly certain that Microsoft had shot themselves in the foot; I thought that the UI was totally inappropriate for a desktop environment and that they were focusing too heavily on the tablet market (which, quite honestly, I couldn’t give a monkeys about). However, having looked at the OS in greater detail my opinion of it has been lifted. 

The traditional Windows interface (Taskbar, Start menu) has been preserved in Windows 8, and one simply has to hit the Start button on one’s computer to switch between Metro and the classic Windows UI. For me, this is extremely powerful; all of my casual stuff such as social networking can be done almost entirely from the beautiful Metro UI, and all of my more serious stuff such as work can be done through the traditional Windows UI. In a way, this reminds me of HTC Sense’s ‘Scenes’ feature, whereby the user can completely change the UI of the operating system to suit their particular needs at a particular moment in time. At the touch of a button, I can revert from YouTube and Twitter to a Word document or email. A little like Android’s widgets, Metro UI brings your important information to the top, which is ideal for checking your social networks or similar. The classic Windows interface has also not changed much from Windows 7, and I love Windows 7’s design. Combine that with Metro UI, and you’re on to a winner. 

Sorry, Mac users, but this is the future of the PC. 

Sidebar: I’ll try to download the developer preview sometime this week, and I’m also fairly certain I’ll be picking up a Windows 8 tablet to replace my netbook when they’re released.

In the meantime, check out this excellent review of Windows 8.