Windows 7 was released three years ago to wide praise. The three year cycle is over and a new operating system is being released to replace it. A normal customer might expect a slightly improved version of Windows 7, but Microsoft is trying something that is completely new to the operating system. A complete and total redesign of the whole Windows experience is something that hasn’t been done since XP was released years ago. Windows 8 is so big that’s it’s creating a whole new type of computer that will be released with it.

Windows 8 is being launched with two different software versions: Windows 8, which is designed for Desktops, Laptops and Tablet-hybrids; and Windows RT, which is designed for ARM based tablets. Windows 8 uses the brand new Metro interface which is a completely brand new look for Windows. The traditional Windows look has been completely removed. Windows RT has the same look as Windows 8 but is built for ARM based tablets. You can’t use standard Windows apps on RT and the desktop is extremely limited.

The big push for Windows 8 is Microsoft's own tablet. The Microsoft Surface is a new tablet from Microsoft that will be released with an RT version and a Windows 8 version. Surface is Windows' first in-house computer. The RT version is a standard tablet; the Windows 8 version has a special pen similar to the S-Pen on Samsung products so you can write on the screen. One of the main features on the Surface is the smart cover with a full sized keyboard and mouse pad on it. The smart cover is the main feature that Microsoft is advertising with the tablet.

Windows 8 is shaping up to be the biggest product launch in Microsoft’s history, and with that launch comes a whole new type of computer -- the hybrid. A hybrid is a tablet/laptop combination. The main form of a hybrid is a tablet with a keyboard dock much like the smart cover on the surface; another form of hybrid is a laptop that folds back to make a tablet.

Windows 8 is Microsoft’s biggest  product launch since XP, but only time and money will tell if the complete redesign of the Windows brand will help or hurt Microsoft.