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For those of you still hanging onto Windows XP, here’s some news: Windows 8–yes EIGHT—is just around the corner. Reports on the Microsoft “product roadmap” say Windows 8 will be released in Mid-2012. As a user, this begs two questions: 1.) Why would I want another operating system?. and 2.) Should I wait to buy a new PC until then?

Why A New Windows?
Here’s why you will want Windows 8–it’s all about touchscreens, and a user interface much closer to the iPhone/Ipad than it is to previous versions of Windows. Microsoft previewed a “Windows 8″ interface, which is the most dramatic overhaul of the GUI since Windows 95, at a recent conference and through online videos.

The four-and-a-half-minute Microsoft demo video instantly calls to mind the interface of Windows Phone 7. Applications appear as tiles, and the demonstrator moves between screens of tiles by swiping his finger across the surface. He introduces some new UI motions, such as sequentially cycling through running apps by swiping them in from the side, snapping apps into place to fill part of the screen and a new touch keyboard that puts half the keyboard in the lower left corner of the screen and the other half in the lower right.

“The new Windows 8 UI is a sea change event that will make the user experience between computing platforms — desktops, notebooks, phones and tablets — a more seamless process,” he said. “Touchscreen technology is finally reaching its promise. ” Translation: It’s the Microsoft version of Apple’s iOS we’ve all come to love on iPhones and iPads.

Should I wait?
No question, you’re going to need a touchscreen monitor to get the full experience. (Although you can use Windows 8 with your standard keyboard/mouse, but what’s the fun in that!). A Microsoft spokesman suggested that current hardware that can run Windows 7 might also be capable of running Windows 8, and that some Windows 7 software applications might be compatible with Windows 8.

“Windows 8 reimagines Windows,” he wrote in his blog. “That’s a big statement…. It is also important to know that we’re 100% committed to running the software and supporting the hardware that is compatible with over 400 million Windows 7 licenses already sold and all the Windows 7 yet to be sold.”

This is bold talk from Microsoft, and it’s designed to keep you buying Windows 7 until Windows 8 is available. Many users will try to install Windows 8 on old machines, and find the result less than satisfying. Here’s my advice: if you buy a new PC now, don’t get the cheapest thing out there. Load it up with processor, RAM and hard disk. You’ll enjoy great Windows 7 performance for a year, and be ready to roll when Windows 8 hits the ground (right after you buy a touchscreen monitor).