In Pictures: Windows 8 Release Preview - a visual tour

Here are some of the more interesting improvements - and quirks - of Windows 8 RP, as Microsoft sprints to the finish line

On our way to Flatland

The Windows 8 Release Preview has rid windows of much of their sordid accoutrement. Gone are the rounded corners, glowing buttons, glass, and reflections. There’s still a little bit of transparency, as you can see in this slide, but that’s about to go on the chopping block, too. (Click to enlarge.)

As Microsoft’s Building Windows blog puts it, “These stylistic elements represented the design sensibilities of the time, reflecting the capabilities of the brand-new digital tools used to create and render them. This style of simulating faux-realistic materials (such as glass or aluminum) on the screen looks dated and cheesy now, but at the time, it was very much en vogue.”

Harumph.

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