The latest rumors around Windows 8 have been posted by Windows 8 Italia, which explicitly says that the information is "unofficial and not confirmed" so we're definitely putting this one in the rumor box. Nevertheless, it's fun to look at what Microsoft may be considering for the successor to Windows 7 - remember, even if these rumors are correct, the next release of Windows could still end up being far from what Microsoft is currently planning.

Without further ado, let's see what the latest rumors are saying, and add our own thoughts about each:

  • It will be 32-bit and 64-bit. That is a huge disappointment, we seriously hope this is incorrect.
  • It will have two interfaces. Again, it's possible but we'd hope Microsoft stays away from such features. Unless, of course, it means a single edition of Windows 8 with two interfaces. That we could live with.
  • The first, codenamed Wind, will be the evolution of Aero in Windows 7 and will initially only be supported by high-end notebook and desktop PCs with dedicated video cards. Wind will reportedly require about 170MB of video memory (Microsoft is working on cutting down that number), will only be available on the 64-bit edition, and will be fully 3D but somehow still work with normal monitors.
  • The second interface will not be in 3D and will focus on less powerful computers and will be the only interface available on Windows 8 32-bit. It will be more based on daily activities performed on a computer and the icons will automatically adapt to the user's needs.
  • The interface of Windows NT will be abandoned. Well, this one is a little unclear but if its implications really are as big as they sound, once again we doubt Microsoft would be so drastic.
  • Windows 8 will have a new fast hibernation system: in three to six seconds it will automatically save all open documents and running tasks. Only the data needed to resume the PC will be stored in RAM. This is more believable and frankly isn't much of a stretch from Windows 7 currently offers.
  • Windows 8 will intelligently manage an SSD, improving overall PC performance and minimizing RAM usage. This will increase the longevity of SSDs. We would not rule this one out either.

To add to the excitement, Nvidia recently released its Quadro 265 driver, which specifically references a new kernel with a version number 6.2 (Windows 7 is 6.1), according to WinRumors. Furthermore, it includes references to Windows 8:

; NVIDIA Windows Vista / 7 / 8 (64 bit) Display INF file
DiskID1 = "NVIDIA Windows Vista / 7 / 8 (64 bit) Driver Library Installation Disk 1"
NVIDIA_WIN8 = "NVIDIA"

There have been many leaks related to Windows 8, but all we really know for sure is what Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said less than two months ago. When asked about the riskiest product bet that the software giant is currently developing, he answered "the next release of Windows" without so much as a second of hesitation.