Windows 8

• Microsoft will focus on Windows 8 as the platform for multiple devices and specifically address the tablet/slate competition space. To be convincing they'll need to address speed and responsiveness, but likely they'll focus on:
  • The richness of the OS - it's not just a big phone, but the full Windows enchilada
  • Security and policies that are lacking in iPad
  • The new HTML5+JavaScript option for development to draw in the developers who traditionally don't work with the Microsoft stack
  • Some lip service to writing it once and running it everywhere whether it's the desktop, laptop, or slate
  • The touch-first features of the new OS
• Microsoft will emphasize that managed code and Silverlight are not dead and will be fully supported on Windows 8. I don't see the death of Silverlight any time soon (again, these are my predictions ... it will be interesting to see what really happens)
• They almost have to address the community of developers concerned about managed code and emphasize that it is not going away. I'm guessing they'll talk about how managed code will work with Windows 8 and perhaps reveal some details about Xaml and C# either as Silverlight or something new for developing apps that target Windows 8
• Microsoft will also address the unmanaged coders and focus on how C++ is coming back to front and center on the new platform, and likely cite some performance examples of why native code is important