Win 8 Consumer Preview shows preinstalled apps, more
updated 01:30 pm EST, Wed February 8, 2012
Consumer Preview of Win 8 may have Media Center
The Consumer Preview of Windows 8 will have a number of Metro-style apps preinstalled, The Verge has learned. They will include mostly simply-titled core apps, such as Camera, SkyDrive, Messaging, Mail, Calendar, People, Photos, Video, and Music. There may be even more than that, and all will be updatable from the Windows Store.
The Mail, Calendar, People, and Messaging will be core Windows communications apps and not related to Windows Live in any way. SMS support for the Messaging app is being worked on, sources indicated, to make it on par with the current Windows Live Messenger. Music and Video apps will carry the Zune brand and are designed by the Xbox team. Zune may become Xbox Live in Windows 8 Music, Video and Games apps in the production version, however.
As for Windows Media Center, it may not be included in this Consumer Preview build. An image shared by Microsoft looks very similar to the Windows 7 version of the software. However, Microsoft has said in the past that Media Center will be in premium versions of the OS, which is meant to keep licensing costs down for the technologies involved.
