Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system:
Windows 8 heralds the biggest change to the industry’s dominant operating system in at least 17 years with attempts to bridge the gap between personal computers and fast-growing tablets with its touch-enabled interface.
Microsoft Corp put its Surface tablet center stage at its Windows 8 launch event, hoping the sleek new device will spark a fightback against Apple Inc and Google Inc in the exploding mobile computing market.
With interest in traditional computers waning, the world’s largest software company is attempting to reinvent the Windows PC in a new format and directly challenge Apple’s all-conquering iPad.
One person called it historic, unique, said Steven Sinofsky, head of Microsoft’s Windows unit and the driving force behind Windows 8, who opened the launch event in New York in front about 1,000 media and PC industry partners.
It’s twice the amount of storage as a competing tablet for the same price, Sinofsky said, comparing the entry level 32 GB Surface with the cheapest 16 GB model of Apple’s latest full-sized iPad, which both cost $499.