Microsoft Windows 8 Goals Revealed

Microsoft has released an extensive blog post that looks back at the history of Windows and then points to where it's headed for the future. From the days of Windows 1, when reviews called the idea of a mouse "gimmicky," "anti-productive," and "uncomfortable," to today when mice are potentially becoming irrelevant again (thanks to the prominence of touch control), there have been a lot of changes in the way we interact with computers.

And after analyzing this, Microsoft has determined what trends are most prevalent right now. Among those things the company has picked on are that a computer that isn't connected to the Internet 24/7 is now an oddity, that people use their computers as social devices, and that laptops are quickly becoming far more popular than desktops. Incorporating that functionality, here are the defined goals of Windows 8:

1. Fast and fluid

2. Long battery life

3. Windows 8 apps

4. Live tiles

5. Time-saving

6. "Roam experiences" between PCs

7. Make PC a device, not a "computer"

"Our vision for Windows 8 was to create a modern, fast and fluid user experience that defines the platform for the next decade of computing. One which upends the way conventional people think about tablets and laptops and the role of the devices they carry.

We wanted to create an experience that works however you want to work, powering a new class of PCs that you are proud to own and love having in your life," Microsoft's Jensen Harris summed up.

[via MSDN]