A recently leaked Windows 8 screenshot appears to show some minor improvements with Windows Update.
Microsoft is currently near Milestone 2 completion for Windows 8 but a leaked screenshot on Wednesday hints at one of the minor improvements in the company’s next-generation Windows. Zukona, famous for providing genuine and accurate Windows beta information, has leaked a screenshot from build 6.2.7930.0.winmain_win8m2.110217-1825. The alleged copy of Windows 8 appears to show a new “restart if required” option prior to installing Windows Updates.
The screenshot is basic and doesn’t hint at any other rumored aspects of the new operating system. The Windows Aero theme is also in use and there’s no signs of an improved GUI just yet. Microsoft is currently compiling escrow Milestone 2 builds with a view to start work on Milestone 3 in late February. Microsoft’s escrow stage for Windows 8 is a significant stage towards a Windows 8 beta. The escrow stage marks the fact that Microsoft is ready to compile a final M2 build during its development stage. Microsoft is expected to finish one more Milestone phase and then deliver a beta copy of the OS around September for the company’s annual Professional Developers Conference (PDC).
Microsoft may introduce Windows 8 ARM based tablets ahead of a full desktop release according to recent reports. Microsoft’s competitive tablet strategy is believed to be further along than expected. Dell’s recently leaked Tablet Roadmap revealed that the OEM has marked Q1 2012 as its date for a Windows 8 based slate. WinRumors understands that Microsoft has been working on an ARM based version of Windows for nearly a year and that it is laboring hard to bring this to the market as soon as possible. Microsoft has previously promised a “major revamp” of Windows for slate applications, that will come in the next version, Windows 8.
Microsoft has so far been extremely quiet on the Windows 8 front. Windows Chief, Steven Sinofsky, took to the stage at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January to introduce a technology preview of Microsoft’s Windows ARM support and show off an early build of Windows 8. Microsoft is partnering with ARM-based manufactures NVIDIA, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments to produce new Tablet devices. Rumors suggest that Microsoft will create a dual-UI for Windows 8. A tile-based user interface codenamed “Mosh” will reportedly be included.
Steve Ballmer has described the next release of Windows as the company’s “riskiest product bet”. It is understood that Microsoft will feature deep cloud integration into the future OS to realise its vision of “three screens and a cloud”.
Windows 8 Windows Update improvements
The screenshot belongs to Windows 8 Build 7930 with build string as 6.2.7930.0.winmain_win8m2.110217-1825. The only new feature noticed via this screenshot is the ability to select “restart if required” option before updating Windows. Another change noticed in this screenshot is the up button though it looks very basic and we could see some changes coming to it in future releases.
This screenshot doesn’t shows any User Interface changes in Windows 8, probably Zukona may be using the standard Windows 7 theme on Windows 8.
