Microsoft has let consumers start trying out its upcoming touch-based Windows 8 operating system, which aims to power a new wave of computer tablets and traditional PCs designed to counter Apple’s big gains in the market through its Macs and iPads.

Microsoft opened up an incomplete version of Windows 8 for the public to download and test yesterday, looking to rev up excitement for its slick, new-look operating system it hopes will restore its fading tech supremacy.

Microsoft today let consumers start trying out its upcoming touch-based Windows 8 operating system, which aims to power a new wave of computer tablets and traditional PCs designed to counter Apple’s big gains in the market through its Macs and iPads.

As Steven Sinofsky prepares for the release of Windows 8, the world waits to see if it will restore the Microsoft brand and set him up for its top job, writes Bill Rigby