Rumor Mill: Windows 8 Coming this October

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 21 Mar 2012

According to the rumors that are going around, Redmond-based software giant Microsoft will release the final version of the Windows 8 operating system this October. As the old saying goes, where there’s smoke there’s fire. What I meant to say by that is that there are several reasons why these rumors are going around.

One reason is the fact that two top Microsoft execs have been hinting at an October 2012 release. Microsoft President Steven Sinofsky hinted at a possible October release at the BUILD Conference in September 2011, and Microsoft Director Janelle Poole hinted at an October release at CES in January 2012. Both said that new Windows editions are rolled out every three years, with Janelle Poole adding that in October 2012 it will be three years since the launch of Windows 7.

Another reason for the “Windows 8 will be released in October” rumor is a new Bloomberg report. The news agency cited “people with knowledge of the schedule” and said that Windows 8 is penciled in for an October release. Bloomberg also reported that the launch of Windows 8, an operating system that is optimized for touch, will be accompanied by the launch of new tablets.

The launch of Windows 8 to the public in October is still a rumor – what is a fact is that Windows 8 Consumer Preview (that’s Microsoft’s fancy wording for Windows 8 Beta) has been already been released to the public. If you want to get a taste of what Windows 8 has to offer, you can grab the Consumer Preview for free from Microsoft here. More than 1 million people have already done so in the first 24 hours after the Consumer Preview was released to the public.

Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live Division at Microsoft, had this to comment on the Consumer Preview:
“With Windows 8, we reimagined the different ways people interact with their PC and how to make everything feel like a natural extension of the device, whether using a Windows 8 tablet, laptop or all-in-one. The Windows 8 Consumer Preview brings a no-compromises approach to using your PC.”



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