Top 10 Microsoft Windows 8 launch insights

So the day is finally here - Windows 8 has hit the market.

After years of talk and a slow trickle of information that became a torrent of updates and insights, Microsoft has pushed its Windows 8 operating system out on to the market for the world to fawn and fuss over.

V3 has been covering the story in detail for years now, following the platforms slow growth to release and reviewing the platform earlier this year, with our view of the new system broadly positive.

Certainly it represents a major change for the firm, from its traditional and somewhat staid Windows interfaces that have been the mainstay of computer life from Windows 95 to Windows 7. Windows 8 changes all that, though, with its bright, interactive live-tile system.

Whether or not it proves a success is anyone's guess at the moment, with many split as to how the average users and the IT directors in large organisations will take to the platform.

10. Ballmer's legacy will be judged on Windows 8

Steve Ballmer has always been something of a marmite figure in the IT industry. And while his role at the head of Microsoft has seen a rise in profits and continued success in many markets, there have also been some stinkers.

However, Windows 8, and its subsequent impact on the market will likely be the yardstick on which his entire tenure is judged.

If it succeeds, and drags Microsoft up in the mobile market while proving a hit with consumers and businesses, then his decision to push forward with such a bold change will be heralded for many years as a great piece of leadership and decision making.

But, if it proves a flop, with consumers disinterested and businesses confused by the Modern UI, causing Microsoft's once dominant position to wane, many will ask: What was Ballmer thinking?

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