Windows 8 devices revealed at Computex

Microsoft Corp. gave visitors to the 2011 Computex show in Taipei a sneak peek at its next-generation Windows 8 operating system, running on several devices from top tech companies. The Windows 8 OS has touchscreen-friendly features and is expected to be optimized for tablet PCs and ARM-based devices, Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA) reported. "This represents a fundamental shift in Windows design that we haven't attempted since the days of Windows 95, presenting huge opportunities for our hardware partners to innovate with new PC designs," said Mike Angiulo, corporate vice president of Windows Planning, Hardware and PC Ecosystem. At a press conference Thursday, Microsoft showcased nine terminal prototypes on the new operating system, with five running x86 processors from its traditional partners Intel and AMD. The devices included two tablet PCs from Dell and Asustek; two notebook computers from Hewlett-Packard and Samsung; and an all-in-one PC from Sony. Four ARM-based products were made by Taiwanese manufacturers, including laptop contract makers Quanta and Wistron, as well as Apple's iPhone and iPad supplier Foxconn. Last January, Microsoft and silicon chip makers AMD, Intel, NVIDIA, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments initially announced plans to work together on the Windows 8 platform. Each of the chip makers were able to choose only one manufacturer at the early stage of the plan to speed up the release of tablet PCs on the new version of Windows. But this triggered worries among some PC vendors that they will be left out. The CNA report quoted market sources who said the Windows 8 will likely go on sale in the fourth quarter of 2012. The current version of Windows, Windows 7, went on sale in 2009. — TJD, GMA News