Windows 8 Slated for October Release, OEMs Primed
Micorsoft is said to be hosting an event in early April for their industry partners where they will reveal their release strategy for Windows 8, such as when it will be released as well as their marketing strategy.
Unnamed sources told Bloomberg that the company is targeting an October release for Windows 8 so that OEMs could release a Windows 8-based tablet in time for the holidays.
Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows business, has been vocal from the start that they aim to release Windows 8 to be able to run on both Intel and ARM chips. They have no problem making Windows 8 work for Intel chips since they’ve worked closely with Intel in the past, but the tricky part is making it work for ARM chips.
The Windows 8 developer preview, released last September, only ran on Intel chips and they’re working hard to iron out all the kinks for an October commercial release.
Windows is the most used desktop/laptop OS, but the goal is to expand their reach in the mobile sector, hence the focus on making Windows 8 work for ARM. Their chips are widely used on mobile devices, including a good chunk of the world’s smartphones and tablets.
“If Microsoft succeeds in shipping both versions of Windows together, and in time for the 2012 holiday season (meaning, gold code by August), the company’s ability to craft a cohesive and complete narrative around both products increases dramatically,” said IDC analyst Al Hilwa, in a research note.
“The ability to create, edit, and save Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote documentsacross devices, without the need for often-kludgy third-party apps, has the potential to drive adoption of WoA devices in a major way.”
Developing For Windows 8
As previously reported, Dell is already testing the Windows 8 platform in their soon-to-be-released tablets. Lenovo is also rumored to be working on a Windows 8 tablet, which they plan to begin shipping as early as October.
IObit, the company that provides consumers innovative system utilities for superior PC performance and security, announced the addition of support for Microsoft Windows 8 to their flagship PC optimization suite, Advanced SystemCare. This will allow consumers to protect, repair, clean, and optimize their Windows 8 PCs with a single click. This latest release ensures that PC users will enjoy enhanced performance using the newly-announced Windows 8 Consumer Preview.
“We’ve worked tirelessly to gain an in-depth understanding of Windows 8 and have adapted Advanced SystemCare accordingly to meet the requirements of this new release,” said Kevin Zhou, Marketing Director at IObit, “Getting this update out so quickly after the Windows 8 release ensures that consumers can have a positive Windows 8 experience right from the start.”
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