Microsoft released the Windows 8 operating system in 2012, making sweeping changes to Windows 7, but even so, there were many concepts that didn’t make it into the final version delivered to users.
Recently, Steven Sinofsky, former president of Microsoft’s Windows division, shared some early concept images of Windows 8 features. According to Sinofsky, these images were shown in the form of a video presentation at the final conference.
As you can see from the images below, the concept images include the Windows 8 Start screen, IE 9 browser, Office Excel and more. Microsoft has taken the bold step of introducing the Start screen in Windows 8, replacing the previous Start menu and making it more suitable for touchscreen users.
The concept image below also shows the widget on the right-hand side of the screen, which can be operated with the touch of a finger, and the Windows key in the bottom left-hand corner, although this has been removed in the official Windows 8 release.
The images below show the conceptual designs for File Explorer, Multi-Display and Task Manager, but none of them are available in the official Windows 8 release.
Jensen Harris, former director of program management for Microsoft’s Windows user experience team, has revealed the hidden boot sound of Windows 8, as well as a more obscure version of the sound exclusive to Surface devices.
