The next major version of Windows (currently dubbed 'Windows 7') was demoed briefly today at the All Things Digital conference. Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer spoke with Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher and showed off new multi-touch features in Windows 7.
Microsoft has adapted the multi-touch technology of their Surface computer into Windows.
iPhone users will be familiar with the photo manipulation shown, but according to Microsoft, multi-touch will be "built throughout the OS". Other notes from the talk report that "Microsoft is re-thinking the whole user interface to better accommodate multi-touch for day to day use." Windows 7 is expected in early 2010.
Of course, Apple first introduced the use of multi-touch into the iPhone and has since integrated basic multi-touch into the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air's trackpad. Meanwhile, patent applications have revealed that Apple is working on more advanced multi-touch integration into Mac OS X. When asked by Mossberg if Apple had a jump on this technology, Ballmer simply responded (Engadget's notes):
There's a lot in Windows 7, and our goal's got to be, with our hardware partners, to produce fantastic PCs. ... We'll sell 270m PCs a year, and Apple will sell 10m. Apple is fantastically successful, and so are we.
