Windows 8 has made its debut in Singapore as well as making its presence felt in countries worldwide. It is now available in stores nationwide, including Challenger, Courts, Harvey Norman, and Newstead.
Launching together with Windows 8 are the new Windows 8 devices that will soon be filling the shelves of stores. There are over 50 new devices sporting the new Windows 8 from various manufacturers to launch in Singapore (with the exception of the Microsoft Surface RT), many of them with extraordinary features such as touch-enabled ultrabooks and convertible tablets.
Microsoft has launched 3 different versions of Windows 8 in Singapore comprising of Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro, and Windows 8 RT. Windows 8 RT will only be available on newer devices and existing devices will not be able to upgrade to it.
You can find a comparison chart between the 3 Windows 8 editions here:
Users with older versions of Windows, including XP, Vista, and 7, will be able to upgrade to Windows 8 with an upgrade going for S$49.99, available at http://windows.microsoft.com/. If you had purchased a Windows 7 PC between the 2nd of June, 2012 and the 31st of January, 2013, you will be able to download Windows 8 Pro at a discounted price of S$17.99 due to the Windows Upgrade Offer which is available at http://www.windowsupgradeoffer.com/. Windows 8 itself will retail at S$89.00.
Apps are a major part of the new Windows 8 ecosystem. Beautifully constructed apps make up the Windows 8 ecosystem, with an amazing 4,433 apps available in the Singaporean Store at the time of writing. Some top apps available for Singaporeans right now are Channel NewsAsia, The Straits Times, SG Deal, MerlionWords, Photo Monkey, STOMP, Razor TV, SG Cab, NomWhere, My SingTel, StarHub, Wego.com, and iProperty.
Over 900 people attended the Launch Party at the Esplanade, an overwhelming response to the invitation. There was a brilliant showcase of new devices on the Esplanade’s Roof Terrace, and many devices caught my attention with their aesthetic beauty and unbelievable specifications.
Developers will be able to leverage on the easy and beautiful design principles that come with Windows 8 to get their apps ready to compete in the market. It is heartening to see Windows 8 launching with so many local apps already available, reflecting the hard work of our Singaporean developers that have been working so hard over the past few months, especially during the HackWeekends that were organized.
I look forward to more apps coming up to populate the Windows Store, especially since Windows 8 is now readily available for everyone!
See here for more information on developing for Windows 8 and why it’s “Not to be Missed”.
If you have an idea for an app and would like to start developing, please join us at WOWZAPP, an upcoming worldwide Hackathon for Windows!
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