Metro platform

Windows Metro (otherwise known as Windows 8+) is a planned release of Microsoft Windows, a series of operating systems being produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablets, and home theater PCs. The release to manufacturing (RTM) is expected in the first week of August 2012, and Windows 8 will be available to users starting October 26, 2012. Windows 8's server counterpart, Windows Server 2012, is in development concurrently with Windows 8. The most recent official pre-release version of Windows 8 is the Release Preview, which was released on May 31, 2012.

According to the Windows Design Team, Windows 8 has been "reimagined from the chipset to the user experience," whereas Windows 7 was intended to be a more focused, incremental upgrade to the Windows line. Windows 8 features a new user interface based on Microsoft's Metro design language, similar to that in Windows Phone. The new interface is designed to better suit touchscreen input, along with traditional mouse and keyboard input. A version of Windows 8, called Windows RT, also adds support for the ARM processor architecture in addition to the previously supported x86 microprocessors from Intel, AMD, and VIA.