Steven Sinofsky has updated the Windows 8 Blog with some new detailed information on the boot and shutdown of the new Windows 8 operating system. They are thoroughly updating the boot experience to the 21st century instead of the bland, age old text based boot process.

Windows 8 will also enter the market in a time when the industry is shifting to the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) for BIOS on all new client systems. We will continue to support the legacy BIOS interface, but machines using the UEFI interface will have significantly richer capabilities. For instance, UEFI systems can render rich graphical experiences in native resolution via the Graphic Output Protocol (GOP) driver. With UEFI, the OS can finally communicate with boot firmware in a standard way; this work is strongly supported by standards work in UEFI and the TCG (Trusted Computing Group). This enables such features as secure boot, where the OS and firmware cooperate in creating a secure handoff mechanism. It also enables a seamless visual experience from the time you hit the power button – one experience owned by two distinct components.

The boot experience has not been thoroughly revamped, well, ever. The BIOS menus have been stuck in time for nearly 30 years while OSes and hardware have advanced at a logarithmic pace. We’ve introduced many features of the pre-OS environment over several releases of Windows, each designed with a different set of capabilities and limitations. For instance, due to the lack of full graphics capabilities, the Multi-OS and Advanced Boot Options menus displayed by the boot manager shown below appear as if they were from the MS-DOS era:

Microsoft has confirmed service outages for the Xbox Live and Zune services. I noticed there was a bit of chatter yesterday regarding the Zune issues, and figured it was a small hiccup. Seems it may be more serious than previously thought.

Users may experience difficulties with the following services:

• You might be unable to access the Zune marketplace or manage your account, including buying Microsoft Points and viewing or changing your personal information. We’re working on the problem. Sorry for the inconvenience, and thanks for your patience.
• You might be unable to manage your account, including buying Microsoft Points and viewing or changing your personal information. We’re working on the problem. Sorry for the inconvenience, and thanks for your patience.

• Your playlists, most-played songs, and other personal stuff in the Social might be outdated. Please check back soon. Sorry for the inconvenience, and thanks for your patience.

We are aware of the problem and are working to resolve the issue. We apologize for any inconvenience

Xbox LIVE:

Users may experience difficulties with the following services:

• Signing into Games for Windows – LIVE on a PC
• Accessing the Xbox.com Web site
• Posting or viewing entries in the Xbox.com forums
• Signing into the Xbox LIVE forums
• Signing into Xbox LIVE from Xbox.com
• Searching for Web pages that are on Xbox.com

We are aware of the problem and are working to resolve the issue. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience

Xbox LIVE Marketplace:

Users may experience difficulties with the following services:

• Browsing Indie Games from the Xbox 360 console or Xbox.com
• Browsing the Games for Windows – LIVE Marketplace on a PC
• Browsing Games Marketplace from the Xbox 360 console or Xbox.com

We are aware of the problem and are working to resolve the issue. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience

Account:

Users may experience difficulties with the following services:

• Creating new Xbox LIVE accounts, managing those accounts, or recovering an account on a different console

We are aware of the problem and are working to resolve the issue. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience

ZDNet has once again declared that the PC is dead. They claim that with the introduction of the Metro UI in Windows 8 that the traditional desktop PC is dead. One question I have, though: without the traditional use of the mouse and keyboard and only using a touch interface, how will working with Excel, Visual Studio, databases or Photoshop be efficient? It can’t with the low DPI resolution of a finger compared to the high resolution of a mouse. I can use a touchscreen keyboard fairly well, but there is no way I could reach my 80+ WPM that I can on a physical keyboard. I won’t even go into ergonomics…

Death of the PC? No. Maybe the death of the old Windows desktop. But, of course, that is the evolution of the OS. I also doubt that Intel will give up to ARM without a fight.

Now that I’ve seen Microsoft’s next-generation Windows desktop systems architecture, it’s become very apparent that Metro fits quite well into the Post-PC vision that I described earlier. It would be entirely possible for a “PC” to be built entirely without Intel legacy architecture, based on the new “Green” foundation.

Within several years, the Wintel architecture on the desktop is going to cease to exist. Microsoft has not issued a timeframe for when this transition is going to occur, but I suspect it will happen within two consecutive versions of the OS. That’s certainly within the scope of ten years or less.

A new video has been shown that compares the boot times of a MacBook Pro to a Windows 8 tablet. Guess who wins? I think it is very impressive, to say the least. From a desktop PC perspective, it is amazing.

For those developers that want to include an app in the Windows App Store when it is finally released, expect to pay a 30% commission on any sales to Microsoft. While distributing apps through the Windows App Store isn’t a requirement, it can help indie developers to get some exposure.

The strategy, if correct, suggests that Microsoft would profit from being the default choice for Windows apps, much as Apple hopes for the Mac App Store. It could simultaneously fork Windows 8 app development where those who want to be in the Windows Store are pushed to either use an older, desktop-oriented interface to get full profits or to lose 30 percent of their revenue to publish a modern and tablet-native version. Microsoft won’t require that apps publish through its store but will give much more exposure to apps that go through its official channel.

Aidan Finn has conducted a very non-scientific test to compare the boot times, both cold and warm (wake up) boots using the Samsung tablet given out at BUILD and the iPad 1. Both are very comparable  in speed. Considering that Windows 8 is far from finished and the boot times are usually faster between beta and RTM. It looks like Apple is going to have a lot of competition in the tablet field soon. I’m definitely looking forward to the new OS release.

When I got off my plane from Anaheim in Chicago, I went to the nearest power station to recharge my devices for the next leg to Dublin.  I noticed something interesting; my Windows 8 (Developer Preview release) slate PC booted up much faster than my 10 month old iPhone 4.  I wondered how that would compare with my iPad (1).  One of the perks of the iPad has been quick access to the device when I needed it.  It seemed like I needed to do a comparison test.

With the Metro UI getting so much attention lately, both with the upcoming Xbox 360 dashboard and the Windows 8 Start screen, there are hints that Microsoft is bringing the UI to the Office Suite. Love it or hate it, the Metro UI is a big deal for Microsoft engineers and UI developers. It has a simplistic view and is very easy to navigate. Although it appears to be very touchscreen targeted, it also works well with a keyboard and mouse. Yes, I know that Windows 8 needs some work on that, but it is just a developer preview to program and test Metro applications. It isn’t a full fledged OS yet, and hasn’t even hit beta yet.

Microsoft isn’t discussing how it will provide Office support in the Windows 8 Metro interface but I suspect that the support will be basic and allow for moderate editing without a keyboard and mouse. Microsoft isn’t ready to dump the keyboard and mouse just yet and nor is the industry. The keyboard and mouse is an essential tool for precision based computing. Office applications like Excel would become difficult to operate in touch only conditions given the complex nature of some spreadsheets.

Microsoft has already started sending updates to the developer preview of Windows 8, including one that revokes security certificates from a recent hacking incident. With Microsoft giving so much attention to Windows 8 at this early developers preview edition, it seems to be getting the royal treatment. Of course, the same update was made available to Windows 7 users as well. At least you can rest assured that your pre-beta (and eventually beta and RC) will be secure and up to date.

Fruit Ninja is an addictive game for the Kinect and WP7 (as well as the iPod/iPhone and Android). Now, you can grace your desktop with wallpapers featuring the fruit.