Microsoft unveils Windows 8 in bid to restore supremacy

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.

Windows 8, as the first Microsoft operating system compatible with low-power microprocessors designed by ARM Holdings plc, will run on tablets as well as desktops and laptops, in an effort to counter the runaway success of Apple’s iPad.

“It’s an even better Windows than Windows 7,” said Steven Sinofsky, head of Microsoft’s flagship Windows unit, as he demonstrated the new system at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.