Windows 8 - First Impressions from Assured Systems

Windows 8 will be the latest in a long line of operating systems (OS) from market leader Microsoft.  The OS is designed for use on computers of all types including desktops, laptops, home theatre computers, multimedia devices, and more.  It is part of the Windows NT family of operating systems and succeeds the successful Windows 7 system.  Windows 8 will be available in four major editions: Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro, Windows 8 Enterprise, and Windows RT. The first three have almost the same hardware requirements as that of Windows 7. The latter, however, runs on tablet computers with ARM architecture and has different hardware requirements such as mobile or embedded devices.

Windows 8 is built using the Modern UI, previously Metro, typography-based design language created originally for use in Windows phones.  One of the key fundamental design features is a better focus on the content of applications rather than the graphical user interface (UI).  Microsoft’s design team report influences such as public transport signs for the UI, placing emphasis on good typography and large text which catches the eye; the result is a modern, clean and fast way of selecting where you wish to go on your device.  Flat coloured ‘live tiles’ are used which include stylised text and logos, making navigation very simple.  Each tile represents an application and can display information about that application, such as the date, time, unread messages, temperature, etc.

The start button is now featured alongside the tiles, known as ‘Charm bar’ which is the universal toolbar of Windows 8, and which you can access from anywhere no matter which application you are working in. There are two ways to enter the Charm Bar; firstly, by dragging your mouse pointer to the top or bottom right corner of the screen, or alternatively you can press the Windows+C button on your computer to invoke the bar.  We like the interface and think it offers a refreshing change to the traditional icon based systems of the past.  Clearly, Apple’s iPhone/iPad lead the way in such an intuitive interface, and perhaps it could be said Microsoft’s design team have made it more modern and interesting; however, only time will tell if the layout becomes irksome as the amount of applications on your devices increase.

Windows 8 'Modern UI' - note the 'Charm Bar' down the right hand side

Windows 8 Mail App

Windows 8 System Setting Screen

Windows 8 Desktop - note the start button is now missing

Hardware requirements of Windows 8 are similar to Windows 7, which is good news for industrial and embedded users whose systems typically sit further down the chain than those of consumer grade computers. To run a single Modern UI ‘App’ you’ll need a display with at least 1024x768 resolution, or to run two simultaneous ‘Apps’ side by side a resolution of 1366x768 or higher.  Minimum processor hardware specs are as follows:

Architecture	32-bit	64-bit
CPU	1GHz	1GHz
RAM	1GB	2GB
Graphics	DirectX 9 with WDDM 1.0 or higher	DirectX 9 with WDDM 1.0 or higher
Storage	20GB	20GB

Microsoft has also released information on tablets or mobile computers, defined as standalone devices which combine a PC and display, alongside integrated pointing device.  This is poignant in our industry, as this OS will be installed on our rugged tablets, panel computers and touchscreen systems.  The touchscreen must be a minimum of 5-point touch and have a resolution of 1366x768 or higher.  Interestingly, to receive Microsoft’s certification, the device must also resume from standby in 2 second or less.

We’ve run some basic benchmarking tests on the same machine running both Windows 7 and Windows 8, and we’re impressed with how the new OS stacks up against its predecessor.  Boot up times were faster, applications loaded quicker, and general responsiveness of the Windows 8 machine was impressive.  Below you can see our benchmarking figures which were run on one of our NDiS 125-L multimedia computers using 32-bit versions of both OSs with the following spec:

NDiS 125-L Fanless Multimedia Computer
Intel Atom D525 1.8GHz Dual Core CPU
Nvidia ION2 GPU
2GB DDR3 Memory
60GB SATAIII Solid State Drive

Benchmarking tests for Windows 7 v Windows 8 on an embedded computer

Windows 8 will go on general release on October 26th 2012.  For those wishing to upgrade, the path will be straight forward for Windows 7 users as all user settings, personal files and apps will remain in tact during the process.  Windows Vista users will find user settings and personal files ported, and Windows XP users will find personal files remain in tact.  The upgrade cost will be around £30 to £50 depending on what you’re upgrading from and to.  There is also a special offer for those with new computers pre-installed with Windows 7 Pro purchased between June 2nd 2012 and January 31st 2013, which will cost around £10 (Windows 7 Starter and Enterprise are not included).

If you would like to discuss your project or application in more detail please contact technical sales on 01785 87 90 50 or email us at sales@assured-systems.co.uk.  For more information on Assured Systems please visit our website at www.assured-systems.co.uk.