Windows 8 Metro UI welcome screen and Ribbon screenshots leak

By Tom Warren, on 2nd Apr 11 10:29 pm with 40 Comments

Windows 8 Metro UI welcome screen and Ribbon explorer images leaked this week.

A number of Windows 8 images have leaked to the web recently and Rafael Rivera at withinwindows.com has posted the latest. Rivera has unlocked several features in a Windows 8 build to unveil a new Metro UI style welcome screen and the use of Ribbon related UI elements in Explorer. The latest leaked images show that Microsoft is experimenting with the use of the Ribbon UI throughout Windows 8′s explorer.

“If Microsoft goes through with this change, the Ribbon will replace the menu and toolbar in today’s Explorer windows, and as in Office, it will make many more features visibly discoverable,” writes Rivera. Despite the existence of the Ribbon in Windows 8, Rivera notes that this is an early implementation. “The Ribbon is a serious work in progress and is quite unattractive. It’s unclear whether Microsoft intends to move forward with this UI as-is, or whether it will appear only in certain UI types.”

Windows 8 Welcome Screen

Windows 8 Ribbon UI

Image Credit: Rafael Rivera (WithinWindows.com)

  • http://twitter.com/lonepursuer Stephen James

    As a work in progress goes, a good start! I like the login screen, but as said, ““The Ribbon is a serious work in progress and is quite unattractive”, no kidding. Would love if the login screen did a windows phone type transition when you used the keyboard shortcut.

  • http://twitter.com/Koki_v3 Koki_v3

    God I hope these are just placeholders for actual new icons. They have to be.

    • http://twitter.com/TechDudeGeorge George S

      They are, MS used the same icons in Windows Live Mail 2011 when it was in Early Beta. Also you can turn the ribbon partly off like in Office. Microsoft included toggles right in the bottom right.

    • http://josedmorales.net Josè Daniel

      They are placeholders

    • http://openid.tomservo.eu/ Tom Servo

      You can fold up the ribbon by double clicking the tab headers. Then only the tab headers remain on screen and the ribbon itself rolls out temporarily only, unless you double click again.

    • http://twitter.com/RahulM1988 Rahul Mulchandani

      Or Press “Ctrl + F1″

  • April_Fools

    I thought you said the login screen was an April Fool’s joke.

    • http://josedmorales.net Josè Daniel

      He actually kept saying “No, it’s not an April Fools’ joke” … “No” … “No!!!!” lol

    • http://profiles.google.com/mohit9sachdeva Mohit Sachdeva

      He in fact said “It is April Fools, TRUST ME!” ……. LOL :D
      :P to Tom

  • April_Fools
  • http://twitter.com/TechDudeGeorge George S

    Looks too cluttered, hopefully will improve. Also in another shot I saw the menu. It’s way to large and as said, it would mess on smaller screens. They better improve it!

    • http://twitter.com/mcakins McAkins Online

      They are meant to support Touch. All those crying windows is not made for touch, the Ribbon is, you’ll all see this implement all over the place in Windows; else its not use having such large buttons etc when you are designing only for mouse.

    • http://twitter.com/TechDudeGeorge George S

      Well they better have the Dual-UI as rumoured. Hopefully this is the touch-UI and we have a way better UI. Just because they want it Touch Friendly, does not mean everyday users want massive buttons taking up screenspace.

  • Idontlikespammers

    The first icon on the task bar looks like the server manager from 2008 r2.

    • Benjy91

      I heard that this Windows 8 build is based off Server 2008.

    • http://openid.tomservo.eu/ Tom Servo

      B-b-b-b-but Windows Server is a different operating system than Windows Client! Everyone on Neowin et al says so!

  • Anonymous

    Love the Ribbon UI or hate it, you’ve got to be happy to see M$ chasing their own new ideas, rather than Apple’s, for a change. Go, M$!

    • Anonymous

      i am surprise no one have corrected you. it might be true that MS has taken some ideas from apple but in truth it has been the opposite. many technologies that came to OSX were demoed by MS way before apple presented the same exact tech on their OS. Just happens to be that Apple has advertise them better. I remember Apple fans telling me Apple created USB even thought its a intel tech. when you live in the Apple distortion field everything they make becomes new and innovation by Apple and we know that’s true. Much like they been saying about Retina Display(which is an LG tech, i think…) and Now they many now claim Thunderbolt is an Apple tech. So do the rest a favor and don’t claim they been following Apple.

    • Guestyguest

      To be honest, Apple were among the first to popularise USB by putting it on Macs as standard.

    • http://profiles.google.com/recretae123 ReCreate N/A

      I’ve seen USB ports on computers with PENTIUMS, they weren’t the first to use it.

    • http://woodj.net Josiah

      “many technologies that came to OSX were demoed by MS way before apple presented the same exact tech on their OS.”
      Many of those things come from NEXT, which was started by Steve Jobs, and which Apple later purchased. That said, of course every company takes ideas from competition. The industry would be pathetic if nobody did that.

      Apple was the first to truly push for USB. Nobody in their right mind would claim Apple invented USB. And retina display hardly counts as any companies tech. Its just more pixels…

      Oh, and Thunderbolt (or Lightpeak) was a collaboration between Apple and Intel. Apple approached Intel about creating a new high speed I/O as an alternate to USB.

  • frankwick

    Now this is something worth leaking. I like the integration of other projects in these screens. Metro lock screen looks like the WP7 lock screen. The ribbon looks like Live Essentials. Very impressive. BTW, those are the same placeholder icons they used in the Live Essentials ribbon.

  • http://twitter.com/lonepursuer Stephen James

    I think they should have the ribbon expandable over mouse hover or something

    • Anonymous

      That would make sense to do, and they already are doing this with windows 7 with the file menu. In windows 7 the file menu is hidden by default and hitting brings it down, works great IMO.

    • Anonymous

      If you click the Up Arrow on the right of the ribbon (in Office; next to the help button), press Ctrl+F1, or double click on the ribbon tabs the ribbon will hide (it is in that state in OneNote by default) and only show the tabs. Click on one will temporarily open the ribbon, but it will close again once you are done using it.

  • Besmir1000

    idk if i like all the circles on the ribbon-!

    • http://about.me/mackenziepricee mackenziepricee

      They are placeholders.

  • Benjy91

    I like the Lockscreen layout, but not the example wallpaper, and I hope they polish the ribbon massively, I hate the way it looks as of now.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=670105580 Phil Chan

    Next: Windows Calculator with Ribbon UI! http://i.msdn.microsoft.com/dynimg/IC208972.png
    (image from MSDN)

  • http://www.facebook.com/misak Misak Ghazaryan

    i cant wait to see what windows 8′s going to be like, look and feel, i srsly hope the rumors of two different UI’s r wrong, id like to see a more unified experience

  • Adsasd

    Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha < That's all I can say and I though it was a 1st april joke

  • Anonymous

    I sure hope the ribbons aren’t here to stay, they’re extremely annoying. Stick to metro-style UI please

    • Anonymous

      annoying? how so? they are the best to people who found themselves confused by the old menu. ribbons are organized and easy to use. but you probably are a geek with a hard on complexity so you can look smarter than average users.

    • Anonymous

      I’m a geek with a hard on complexity because I don’t like the ribbons? Seriously? You are implying that I want it complicated because it appeals to my “geek” side, yet I’m here advocating the use of Metro UI which is basically the epitome of simplicity?

      Wake up on the wrong side of the bed or are you always a simple-minded asshole?

    • Anonymous

      I’m a geek with a hard on complexity because I don’t like the ribbons? Seriously? You are implying that I want it complicated because it appeals to my “geek” side, yet I’m here advocating the use of Metro UI which is basically the epitome of simplicity?

      Wake up on the wrong side of the bed or are you always a simple-minded asshole?

  • http://adamhaider.com Adam Haider

    The ‘ribbon’ as of now isn’t in-keeping with the Aero or even Metro UI. The fact everything is stacked vertically in groups works well with applications but for an explorer environment it will be too cluttered.

    Microsoft need to re-design the entire file-system if they want to impress users with something fresh. I’ve been testing around with what is already found within Windows 7 and already discovered a touch-friendly explorer view. http://i.imgur.com/OldFX.jpg

  • Pulinau

    where do you get all these leaks?

  • Chris

    Ribbons are a total step backward in usability. They are often cluttered, difficult to lay out properly, the icons have little meaning, and all they do is simple hide functionality in plain view. Way to go microsoft, blazing another trail toward nothing.