Microsoft Confirm Windows 8 RTM Beginning August, Shipping To All End of October

[engine]

Microsoft Confirm Windows 8 RTM Beginning August, Shipping To All End of October [guardian.co.uk]

Windows 8 will be "released to manufacturing" in the first week of August, and will move to "general availability" for everyone by the end of October, Microsoft has announced.

Speaking at Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference in the US, Tami Reller, the vice-president for Windows, gave the dates when the finished software would be sent out to companies so that they can test and include it on PCs – the "release to manufacture", or "RTM" date – and the later date when people will be able to buy and download it directly from Microsoft.

[netmeg]

I was thinking "Read The Manual"

[incrediBILL]

Wait, it takes them 3 months from RTM to shipping?

MS wonders why they're losing the battle, 3 months to ship released software is a good clue. Any other company would slap a download on the web and go live the next day after RTM in August.

[bill]

I'd assume MSDN and TechNet subscribers can download it as soon as it's released in August.

The 3 month delay for general availability is a bit long though, I agree. Is that how long it takes the PC manufacturers to get it in hardware? Since a lot of the Windows 8 promotions MS has had lately focus on downloads rather than physical media it may be possible we see earlier availability for those who want to upgrade.

[kartiksh]

I am still at their World Wide Partner conference where this announcement made
It will be RTM in first week of August and at the same time will be available to all Microsoft Enterprise customers as well. Probably it is not shipped until Oct as all the OEMs who have series of new windows hardware to release, Microsoft wants to give time to them under this agreement (Say Nokia, Samsung, Themself etc), else i don’t see any other reason. So in my opinion it is business decision rather than technical decision.

[graeme_p]

Is the three months related to the lock down on Windows 8 (PCs that come with Windows 8 will refuse to run other OSes, and Windows 8 will only run on PCs that have that lock down). It means BIOS and hardware changes have to be tested.

[kartiksh]

no, infect it is otherway, it will be open and will work as good as it is working for all your windows 7 hardware. The arm version may probably have the lockdown as they are made specifically for Windows 8 by OEMs but at large anything running windows 7 today should be running windows 8 and downgrade...

[kartiksh]

just to add, have you seen what "Windows 8 to go"? if not check out today, it is windows 8 on 64 gb stick, plug and play at hotel room, cybercafe and have your secure office whenever you are going.

[graeme_p]

kartish, you are wrong about Windows 8 being open, and running on anything that will run Windows 7. Windows will only run with UEFI signed boot, not with an old fashioned BIOS (it would not work on the machine I am on now, which originally came with Win 7).

It works the other way too: hardware for Windows 8 will only run a signed bootloader. You are right insofar as the rules are looser for x86 than for ARM, but it still requires signed boot.

This has even lead to Red Hat paying MS to sign Red Hat Linux (at a cost to users of $99 a time) [zdnet.com ]

Re "Windows 8 to go", what took them so long? Other OSes have offered the same functionality for 8+ years!

[kartiksh]

graeme_p, i can not comment on why and what they did late or now, but from what i hear from them publically and from this faq [windows.microsoft.com...]

Will my devices and programs work with Windows 8 Release Preview?


Windows 8 Release Preview should work with the same devices and programs that work with Windows 7. In some cases, the device or program might require an update or you might need to uninstall some programs, and then reinstall them after installing Windows 8 Release Preview. The Windows 8 Release Preview Setup program will scan your PC to determine what's compatible and provide a report that you can save or print. Make sure your devices are connected to your PC and turned on before you run the Setup program.

Now back to hardware specifically designed for Windows 8, yes it may not run windows 7, but what you have today running windows 7 will surely run the windows 8 on this.

I just upgraded my win 7 pro samsung slate to win 8 release preview and it worked verywell.