A series of four adverts for Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system have appeared on YouTube. The videos were posted by the Israeli tech news site TechIt. The four adverts focus on various parts of the new OS, especially the Modern UI side, and how users interact and work with it. It is thought that the ads have not just a promotional function but are also educational; there is a lot of teaching by example within the video footage.
Windows 8 - Work Hard, Play Hard (app switching and side by side apps plus the “familiar desktop”)
Windows 8 – Make it Yours (customise Windows 8 to your liking)
Windows 8 – All About Apps (apps, internet and sharing)
Meet Windows 8 (a general intro mixing some of the above concepts)
Each of the ads is just under a minute long and are actually quite informative, especially on the Modern UI side of things. The desktop is shown only briefly in the Work Hard, Play Hard video. Most of the video footage of Windows 8 interaction is via touch.
It is not known where these ads are intended to be shown, if they will ever get to TV screens or cinemas or if they will be just be available on the internet. The Verge notes that Microsoft is expected to show up with some ads for the Surface tablet soon, which will be heavily promoted in the run up to 26th October.