This leaked welcome screen for Windows 8 isn’t itself a huge development, but it does offer some hints about where Microsoft is headed with its PC operating system.
If you’ve ever seen a Windows Phone 7 handset, the fonts in the image above should look familiar. Within Windows, the blog that first published the welcome screen, says users will only be able to modify the background image (so you won’t be stuck staring at that creepy dude).
That’s not surprising. We’ve heard rumors that the tile-based interface that debuted in Windows Phone 7 will play a role in Windows 8 as well, so it follows that Microsoft would look to enforce common design elements among all of its products.
Also, Microsoft has already said that Windows 8 will run on tablets, and this welcome screen, Within Windows reports, will let touch screen devices log on using a pattern. The screen may also gain other controls for things like audio.
Within Windows says it will deliver a long series of posts on Windows 8 features. For now, here’s the full welcome screen image:
