Microsoft Releases Windows 8 Consumer Preview
Tired of just hearing about Windows 8 all the time? Well then, you’re in luck — Microsoft has finally released the Windows 8 Consumer Preview to the public, so people outside of the tech bubble finally have the chance to take Redmond’s new OS for a spin.
Be warned though: the file sizes range from 2.5 to 3.3 GB depending on your preference between the 32-bit or 64-bit versions, so you may be downloading for quite some time.
Hopefully the download process isn’t too much of a headache — according to Microsoft’s Steven Sinofsky, they’re already bracing themselves from the hordes of Windows 8-hungry users. The servers seem to be coping with the load just fine for right now (thanks for the heads up, commenters), but we’ll see how things progress as more people hear about it.
Alongside the long-awaited download links, Microsoft has also provided users with the necessary system requirements for running the Consumer Preview, and they’re just as lax as what Windows 7 required. While a 1GHz processor and DirectX9 or later are a must, the rest of the requirement depends on which version of the OS you would like to run. If you’re a 32-bit type, you’ll only need 1GB of RAM and 16GB of disk space, while those of the 64-bit persuasion need at least 2GB of RAM and 20GB available on their hard drives.
All apps and functions are pinned to these tiles and interaction is as simple as clicking them. A full screen view of your tiles fills the desktop and it can be scrolled horizontally. The whole interface is customizable and you can pin apps, programs, document and webpages among other things.
If you don’t like the Metro interface you can easily switch the old traditional desktop. Once you do switch to it, one can see general improvements overall to common stuff like the task manager.
The lack of buttons and windows is apparent when you look at the interface. There are gestures you can use instead as shortcuts. For those who don’t have touch tablets there are mouse gestures available too.
A surprise in Windows 8 is how good Internet Explorer 10 is. Fluid, fast and responsive, it’s actually a worthy alternative to Chrome and Firefox.
Here are a few screenshots for your viewing pleasure:
Windows 8 has literally got hundreds of new features so a rundown of what’s new would make this a very lengthy post, so give it a spin. The minimum requirements are:
- 1 GHz or faster processor
- 1 GB RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
- 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
- DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
- 1024 x 768 minimum screen resolution
There may be additional requirements to use certain features like Snap and Touch based gestures though.
The Windows 8 Consumer Preview is available worldwide for download in English, French, German, Japanese and simplified Chinese languages.
If you prefer ISO files, go to the following link to download the image files:
Or you can just go the following link let it decide which version would be suitable for you:
Note: Only upgrading from Windows 7 is treated as a full upgrade. If you upgrade from Windows XP or Windows 8 developer preview, only your user accounts and files will be saved and you’ll lose your settings and programs.
The preview can be downloaded here — enjoy! (Oh, and let us know what you think.)
