The Windows 8 operating system has been designed to run on tablet computers, in addition to being compatible with desktop and laptop PCs.
Microsoft has offered a preview of the software as it moves to react to the growing popularity of tablets, and challenge the dominance of Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android platforms.
Windows 8 will operate off two interfaces – a traditional desktop interface similar to previous editions of Windows, and a new version called Metro.
Metro has been created to best suit touchscreen use and at this week’s unveiling of Windows 8, the company also announced it would launch its own online apps marketplace called the Windows Store.
The operating system market is becoming increasingly fierce as the top tech brands jockey for position.
The Android platform is going from strength to strength, with research from comScore revealing that in July nearly one in four smartphone users in the five leading European markets uses the Android platform.
Microsoft’s mobile operating system, Windows Mobile 7, was given a boost in February, when Nokia chief executive Stephen Elop committed his company to using Windows Mobile 7 as its primary smartphone platform.
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