A secret Microsoft slideshow leaked onto the internet apparently reveals the company’s next Windows operating system will take a few lessons from Apple regarding simplicity and ease of use.
The slides, which originally appeared on the Italian Microsoft-focused site “Windowsette”, have now spread across the internet and are now available for viewing on a number of blogs and tech sites.
Some tech sites, including ITWire.com.au, have opted not to publish the slides at all due to legal concerns, but others including ZDNet have posted the slides and believe them to be genuine.
Microsoft has yet to release a formal response to the leak.
The slides suggest Windows 8 is currently in a very early stage of development, with only preliminary planning having taken place. The slides don’t even suggest a tentative release date.
However, Microsoft is taking notes from Apple in a big way. It notes the “Apple brand is known for high quality, uncomplicated”. It also says Apple “realised value leads to product satisfaction, which in turn feeds brand loyalty”.
Apple’s marketing has put the company against Microsoft for years, portraying its products as simple and easy to use, compared to the more complicated Windows operating systems.
But the slides also show a number of new features that would improve the personalisation of the Windows software, and would be designed to feel more like a smartphone than a PC.
The first of these is inbuilt camera technology. “Camera integration will likely be ubiquitous in 2012”, the slides state, along with the suggestion that “my PC could detect my presence and log me in automatically”.
This technology wouldn’t be new to Microsoft – it is already including it in the Xbox Kinnect product to be released later this year. Rolling it out across all products would be the logical next step.
The slides also discuss a number of different advancements in the use of user accounts. One slide suggests making it easier to switch between user accounts, while another suggestion states Windows accounts could be put into the cloud.
“Roaming settings and preferences associated with a user between PCs and devices… PC to log on to websites on the user’s behalf… increasing online safety”.
The slides also reveal Microsoft appears to be focusing largely on individuality and customisation for the next step in its Windows line. The slides suggest some “goals” for the software.
“Partners are able to customise Windows in alignment with specific hardware and software offerings to create unique, integrated and branded experiences.”
“Customers who are shopping for a new computer are able to clearly see the value of Windows 8 product offerings and are able to choose a Windows 8 PC that best matches their personality, interests and lifestyle.
The slides also mention the development of the next version of Internet Explorer and a new App Store specifically for Windows that would see customers “getting applications they want, that they can feel confident in, that they can use on any Windows 8 device”.
A number of technical details, including backend upgrades and faster startup times, have also been proposed.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
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