Last but not least: Microsoft stirs up publicity for Windows 8 as a beacon of hope

At the "Device Days" on October 25 and 26 at Zurich Main Station and on November 2 and 3 at the Interdiscount Megastore in Geneva, around 150 Microsoft Switzerland employees will be demonstrating the latest hardware as well as the top local and international apps on an area of over 300 square meters. Microsoft wants to demonstrate the advantages of the new operating system to the hundreds of thousands of commuters at Zurich's main railway station. The highlight in Zurich is a 6×9 meter Windows 8 tablet on which visitors can play a game of Win Pong against each other - with a giant keyboard or touch fingers, depending on their preference.

With Windows 8, Microsoft is now also stepping into Apple's big shoes. Its app operation on its iPhone and iPad was so successful that the competition had to follow suit. Google has already done this with the Android system for cell phones and tablet computers. And now Windows 8 will be available in over 140 markets and 37 languages from tomorrow, Friday, as Microsoft writes in a press release on Thursday.

Windows 8 has the advantage that the apps run on both tablets and PCs, said developer Christof Zogg according to SDA. "We believe that we will catch up with the huge backlog of apps." Not exactly a modest vision for the future. According to Microsoft, there are just a few thousand apps available, of which around 100 are from Switzerland. In comparison: Apple's mobile operating system currently offers over 700,000 apps. But Microsoft obviously doesn't need to worry about that. Because, as the company writes: "Many more top apps such as Ex Libris, Local.ch, Search.ch and Zattoo are set to follow in the next few days".