A glimpse of Windows 8 leaked in Microsoft Presentation Slides !

Product plan leaks are synonymous with Microsoft's documents these days. Italian Windows blog Windowsette hasmanaged to grab Microsoft Confidential Presentation Slides stating Windows 8 future plans. The future development strategy of other products like Internet Explorer 9 and Windows Live Wave 5 have also been mentioned. Apart from that, one of those slides discusses Apple's consumer strategy: A high-quality, easy-to-use user interface that feeds brand loyalty.

We already knew that Microsoft is working on Windows 8 which is scheduled to release in 2012. Now these new slides which were watermarked MS Confidential share more details about the Windows 8 Product Cycle.

The slides suggest that Microsoft is also planning to launch Windows Store which would be just like Apple's App Store. One can purchase and download programs without worrying about installations and flexible licensing policies that would make them transferable from one computer to another.

On Windows 8 front, Microsoft plans to implement presence sensors that will detect the user's presence with facial recognition and thereby put the PC in appropriate mode - sleep or stand by. Also, the boot up time of Windows 8 would be shorter than that of Windows 7 due to Action Center that will help identify the applications slowing down the boot up.

Paul Thurrott, author and blogger of WinSupersite, also gave a  sneak peek into the features of Windows 8. According to him, for faster computing and compatibility, the operating system will have built-in support for USB 3.0 and Bluetooth 3.0 in next generation devices. Windows 8 will provide sensors platform for location capabilities and will use "in-box" location service codenamed Orion. This service will use Wi-Fi triangulation with accuracy down to 50 meters to 100 meters. 

Apparently, the leaked slides also hinted Kinect for Xbox 360 like features for Windows 8 machines. One of the slides mentioned that "Windows 8 can adapt to changes in ambient light, so that the display is always easy to see". Apart from that, Windows 8 will also have stereoscopic 3D and graphics improvements with 3D-ready version of DirectX. The backup and restore function would be improved too. Windows 8 public beta might be released sometime late 2011 while the final version would arrive in mid-2012.

Again, as the slides suggest, the details are a part of Windows 8 discussion and not a well-laid accurate plan. We wait to see if Windows 8 leap-frogs Windows 7 only, or manages to overtake the ever increasing Apple Mac OS X market too.