Microsoft has confirmed they're going to be releasing a Beta version of their brand new operating system, Windows eight. There are high expectations for the newest OS, let's hope it lives up to the hype.

The software giant's next gen OS is in the making and is on target for a February 2012 launch. A final release date has not been announced yet, however there have been several demonstrations so the launch date shouldn't be too far away.

A new feature will be 'Metro', a popular feature of the Windows 7 phone operating system. Metro will make the most of its touch screen functions which will make the OS much more versatile by making it compatible with smartphones, tablets & pcs. The touch screen capabilities are presently being implemented, functions like this will make Microsoft really competitive with Apple and Samsung. One significant concern for Microsoft is how the touch screen improvements can be applied to computing in a user friendly manner.

Windows eight will have a very solid focus on applications and their navigation to ensure Windows 8 can compete with Apple & their Mac store.

Windows eight is said to support ARM processors in addition to the earlier supported X86 microprocessors from Intel and ARM. There is going to be a completely revamped start screen that's designed to be touch screen friendly in addition to mouse, keyboard & pen input. Windows eight will support multiple monitors with the brand new ability to natively display different background pics on each screen and custom taskbars on each of the connected Monitors.

Windows 8 is said to have the ability to run from a USB-connected drive, for example a flash drive. This feature is called WindowsToGo (WTG). It is designed for enterprise admins to give users with a Windows 8 image that reflects the company desktop. Pricing and licensing details were not discussed when the feature was announced, WTG will not be included in Windows 8 previews.

Rumours imply that Windows eight will also include an App store just like the Apple Mac Store that launched earlier this year. Developers will be given 80% of revenue from their apps once it has generated over $25,000, a ten% increase on the Apple iPhone store.

This shows that Microsoft is inclined to lure Developers to Windows 8 with financial incentives, it will be interesting to see whether Microsoft & Windows 8 can live up to the hype.