This makes their email, calendar, contacts and anything they've stored on SkyDrive available to them on any machine they sign into and also automatically syncs all of that stuff across all of their devices.
Windows PCs still dominate the market in a way that Windows Phones and Windows tablets do not; syncing email and contacts and the like from your primary device -- statistically, probably a Windows PC -- could be a selling point and a huge boon for Microsoft's tablet and smartphone business in the future.
Speaking of the great cloud: We also got an in-depth look at the Windows App Store -- er, Windows Store with apps -- in the Consumer Preview. Just like on OS X, you'll be able to download apps from both Microsoft and third-party developers; these apps, which will range from games to utilities to productivity software -- can likewise be synced across all of your devices.
In the CP of Windows 8, only free apps will be available for download, as paid apps will likely arrive with the official release later in the year. Microsoft is actively trying to entice developers to program Metro-style apps for Windows 8 to fill out this Store of Apps, having offered cash prizes and free Samsung tablets to developers in the past.
Microsoft's Internet Explorer has been the subject of mockery, ridicule, and even a practical joke claiming that its users were mentally deficient. Internet Explorer 10 has been totally redesigned as a full-screen Metro application for Windows 8, and its "Platform Preview 5" ships with the Consumer Preview you can download today. Like much of Windows 8, IE10 looks more like a mobile application than a desktop app, again blurring the boundaries between smartphone, tablet, and desktop computer.
Finally, Microsoft says it has made a number of usability changes, making both touch and mouse-and-keyboard use easier and more accurate. According to Engadget, President of the Windows Division Steven Sinofsky said that over 100,000 changes to Windows 8 have occurred between the Developer's Preview in September 2011 and the Consumer Preview announced on Wednesday, and many of these are likely small tweaks aimed at refining the overall experience of using Windows 8.
That said: This is still a Beta version, so it's likely there are still undiscovered kinks and flaws that still need to be corrected before the official release. The brave and the curious, however, can download the Consumer Preview from the Microsoft website here and are encouraged to report all such bugs to Microsoft.
And if you just want to look but not touch? Well, here's a "Product Demo" of Windows 8 from Microsoft:
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