After months of previews, sneak peeks and betas, Microsoft has finally launched Windows 8, its touchscreen-friendly desktop and tablet OS. The launch event took place yesterday, but very little was revealed beyond what we already knew.

At various points during the event, Steven Sinofsky, president of Microsoft’s Windows division, claimed that “Windows 8 is simply the best release of Windows ever”, and that, in the Surface, “everything Microsoft has done is coming together.” Big words, if hardly unusual for launch event hyperbole – but is there any substance to them?

Under the Surface

The first wave of Surface tablets, running the RT version of Windows 8, go on sale today – at least, on Microsofts site and at a limited number of licensed stores, including a newly-opened store in New Yorks Time Square, which exclusively sells the tablets.

In the US, the basic 32GB model costs $599, with an extra $100 for the touch cover, which functions as a keyboard, and another $100 on top of that to double the storage to 64GB. In the UK, the starting price is £399, going up to £559 with all the trimmings.

So far, reports on how theyre selling are rather conflicted – there were queues to buy the tablets on the stroke of midnight, but the Inquirer reports that the Oxford Street branch of Currys and PC World hadnt shifted a single unit by lunchtime – but that doesnt really matter as much as the initial public reaction.

Going Pro

You see, while Microsoft has hardly been slacking off since it unveiled Windows 8 at MWC back in February – the OS has apparently undergone a total 1.2bn hours of testing – the real, full-fat version of the Surface isnt available yet.

The current range of tablets, running Windows RT, can’t run existing desktop Windows programs. Like every other tablet, theyre dependent on specialist apps – something which Windows Phone has never specialised in. Theres a Pro version to follow at an unspecified date in the future, which can run the same programs as Windows 8 on desktop, but by then the damage might have been done.

When the Pro tablets do launch, what it might also mean is apps going the other way, and making the jump from mobile to desktop. One early example of this is audio recognition app Shazam, which is coming to desktop for the first time ever, as it launches onto Windows 8 ready for tablets running the OS.

“With the launch of Windows 8 and its exciting touch-screen technology, Shazam will be available on laptops for the first time ever, plus all the new tablets running Windows 8, giving fans a new avenue for media engagement at home, at the office and on the go,” said Shazams EVP of marketing, David Jones.

Overall, its been a slightly messy launch. With the all-important Windows Phone 8 release following next Monday, and also looking like it might be compromised –  there wont be any smartphones that run the OS available at launch, and rumours have been circling that WP8 wasnt ready to be used just a couple of weeks ago – Microsoft has it all to play for. Seeing how many families are unwrapping Microsoft devices on Christmas day is going to make for an extremely interesting few months.

The bigger picture

Jim Somers, chief marketing and strategy officer at mobile solutions provider Antenna, thinks Microsoft might face an uphill struggle in the enterprise, especially with the mixed reviews of the RT-based Surface tablets.

“Windows RT is a rickety bridge to Windows 8, and many IT managers are dont want to be among the first to cross it,” he says. “From a consumer perspective, despite the companys flashy marketing campaigns, uptake may be slow due to the lack of apps and compatibility with existing Windows software. 

“However, the potential of the new Windows platforms cannot be denied. Microsoft is offering an easy experience for developers – one that translates well from the .NET and Java platforms many of them are likely to be familiar with already. This gives Microsoft the potential to stand taller to mobile juggernauts, Apple and Google, and even steal remaining market share from the already fragile RIM, which doesnt look as though it will launch its BB10 devices until early 2013.”

Malik Saadi, principal analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media, meanwhile, is a little more positive about the launch: “This is probably the most important announcement in Microsoft’s history since the launch of its Windows 3.0 in 1990,” Saadi says. “This is not just a product announcement; it is a new strategic direction that will redefine the way computers are used. The goal here is to move away from the ageing PC paradigm where the user experience is designed for, and locked into, desktops and notebooks.

“It is becoming clear that the PC market, the core business of Microsoft, is shrinking. This is due to both cannibalization by the tablet market and the slow PC replacement cycles. Consumers are not prepared to upgrade their PC hardware unless major enhancements in terms of both performance and user experience are offered. 

“The popularity of tablets and smartphones clearly indicate a major shift in the way users interact with their devices away from the keyboard and the mouse. Touchscreen and, increasingly, gesture and voice recognition have emerged as alternative interfaces currently enabling the creation of a plethora of innovative applications and services that have made smartphones and tablets very popular. Previous versions of the Windows platform were not designed for a multi-touch experience but Windows 8 is likely to change the game.”