15+ years with MS Windows, what can I expect from Windows 8?

Last night I got thinking about the Windows Operating System and its direction. The first distribution outside of MS-DOS that I recall using was Windows 98 in late 1998...perhaps I used 95 before then, but I don't remember doing so.

Back in the day our brand new AMD machine ran Windows 98SE with Microsoft Works, Encarta 98 and errm that's pretty much all it was originally used for...that and playing single player Age of Empires, Golf and games bundled with the OS such as solitaire. A pretty expensive typewriter and encyclopedia wouldn't you say?

The machine ran at a blistering 350MHz, had 32MB RAM, a 4.3gig HDD and came with an inkjet printer, 56.6k modem, voodoo video (I think), Creative Sound, 32X CD-ROM, 2 Channel Speakers and Floppy Disk Drive...And I was 12 years old.

By 13 I had began to discover the true potential of this machine and was forced to use internet at libraries and school for my fix, until our house connected to the internet on my 14th birthday.

Eventually (age 15) I got a job and could afford my own equipment, however I worked damn hard for my money so I was only spending it on what I really needed. Instead I would arm myself with floppy disks and downloaded content whilst at school and take it home and upload it to my own folder. I have a back-up of this folder somewhere...mostly games involving pot and South Park...images of Beavis and Butthead and The Simpsons...oh and this was in 2000 when pro wrestling was "in" so a lot of pro wrestling content, too.

Nearly a year after gaining full time employment at age 18 I bought a laptop. The year was 2004 and it was an Acer with a DVD Burner, 40gig HDD, 1.5GHz CPU, plenty of USB ports and 256RAM and at the time not many laptops topped what I had, unless you wanted to take out a small loan. It ran Windows XP Professional and I thought it could do anything.

I now have a number of computers for different purposes, running Windows 7. The things they can do is amazing. I once had Vista and like many others...really didn't care for it...at all.

I really like Windows 7...but what will Windows 8 offer which is different?

A quick search has returned a few 'rumors' such as:

- Stronger authorization security (who would have guessed huh?),

- Ability to mount an ISO

- An 'App' store

- 'Improved' ribbon menu things

- A login screen that resembles that of my mobile phone OS when on standby; and

- Updated versions of existing utilities such as Internet Explorer.

I must say, if this is all that is on offer...I will stick with 7 as long as I can get away with it, that is, until new hardware/software that I want operates best using the next installment of Windows.

I also can't help but think how far Microsoft can step without being the "bad guys" that they were when they really had the market by the throat. I mean ISO mounting and PDF reading reduces the number of third party software that needs to be used for applications that are used a lot by everyday users.

However, I don't see any video/audio editing software being talked about. With so many devices capable of recording video and sound, and images for that matter...I just can't help but wonder why Microsoft aren't putting their resources into developing these...I mean I'm still using MSPaint! It has improved, but only a little.

A mobile phone with Windows Mobile 7 has better image manipulation programs bundled than what Windows 7 Desktop has to offer - What's their angle?