The next version of Microsoft's flagship OS may still be a few years off, but that won't stop people speculating about it. There have already been rumours suggesting that much of Windows 8 will be run in the cloud, and although a little less radical, the latest buzz still gives an interesting insight into where the company might be heading.
According to Windows 8 Italia, an informed source has revealed some details about the upcoming OS. Many of these deal with the new 'Wind' UI, which will be the follow up to Windows 7's Aero, and like its predecessor will come in two versions depending on the performance system.
More powerful desktops and notebooks with dedicated GPUs will be able to run the full interface, which will be completely rendered in 3D - although it isn't clear if this means stereoscopic 3D or not. However, this currently requires about 170MB video memory - although the plan is to decrease this number - so there will be a non-3D interface for lower-power systems.
Interestingly, the full Wind interface will only be available on computers running 64-bit versions of the OS, suggesting that Microsoft might finally be pushing this as the 'standard' edition. While there will reportedly be a 32-bit version, it seems like it might be reserved for low-power systems like tablets and netbooks in the same way that Windows 7 Starter is now.
The source also claims that the UI will be dynamic, intelligently adapting the interface to the user's usage habits and creating shortcuts in logical places to speed up common tasks.
Finally, the rumour adds in a few uncontroversial features including better support for and management of SSDs and a faster hibernation mode which will only take three to six seconds to power-down. It also mentions that the cloud-based OS will be a different version of Windows, and not the consumer-focused edition.
Obviously Windows 8 is still some way off, and even if any of this information is true now, it could well change before the operating system's release. However, these details provide some interesting insight into the direction that Microsoft could be taking with its next operating system.
