Finally, the news we all have been waiting for. Microsoft has announced that Windows 8 development is now complete. The final Release to Manufacturing (RTM) code will now be delivered to the company's hardware partners in the next few days to prepare PCs and tablets accordingly with the new operating system in time for general availability on October 26.
Microsoft's latest landmark concludes almost two years of development for its new Metro inspired Windows 8 software and marks the commencement of an entirely new release phase.
The final build is called 9200.16384.win8_rtm.120725-1247 and Microsoft says MSDN and TechNet customers will be able to download it from August 15. Moreover, Microsoft Software Assurance customers will get the RTM bits on August 16, and Volume License customers without Software Assurance will be able to purchase Windows 8 through Microsoft Volume License Resellers on September 1.
“We continue to be sincerely humbled by the breadth of participation in our pre-release testing. The previews of Windows 8 (Developer, Consumer, Release) have been the most widely and deeply used test releases of any product we have ever done. Over 16 million PCs actively participated in these programs, including approximately 7 million on the Release Preview that started 8 weeks ago. The depth and breadth of testing validate the readiness of Windows 8 for the market,” stated Steven Sinofsky, Microsoft's head of Windows, in the official Microsoft Blog.
“While we have reached our RTM milestone, no software project is ever really “done.” We will continue to monitor and act on your real world experiences with Windows 8—we’ve used the preview process to test out our servicing and we have every intent of doing a great job on this next important phase of the product,” Sinofsky added. “Hardware partners will continue to provide new devices and improve support for existing devices. PC makers no doubt have quite a bit in store for all of us as they begin to show off PCs specifically designed for Windows 8.”
What the finalization of Windows 8 also means is that the Windows Store will go live on August 15. And developers will be able to access the final tools and submission process for Metro style apps at the Windows Dev Center later this month. As far as PCs and tablets, including Microsoft's own Surface, are concerned, they will be shipped with Windows 8 on October 26.
