Microsoft has set the date for the release of Windows 8: the operating system will be released to manufacturers in August ahead of a general release at the end of October. "The wait is almost over," said Tami Reller, chief marketing officer of Microsoft's Windows division. "Windows 8 is on track to be released to manufacturing …

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Monday 9th July 2012 14:58 GMT JDX

Aside from the inevitable "it's dross" comments which I'll leave to others, A couple of neat things:

>>Anyone buying a PC from today will be able to upgrade to Windows 8 for $14.95, she said, and for the rest of us the $39.99 price tag looks set in stone

>>All customers will get access to SkyDrive cloud storage with a Windows 8 purchase

SkyDrive for free especially seems quite cool, depending how much you get. I do wonder though what happens if you already have a Windows Phone... can you combine your included storage?

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1. Monday 9th July 2012 15:18 GMT jonathanb
  
  Anyone with a hotmail account already gets free Skydrive. Do you get more storage if you have Windows 8?
  
  1 1
2. Monday 9th July 2012 15:57 GMT LarsG
  
  AND HOT ON THE HEELS OF WIN 8
  
  Will be the release of the Surface from Fantasy Island sometime in the near future, guaranteed before 2015.
  
  De surface! De surface! Mr Roarke, De surface is here!
  
  3 1
3. Monday 9th July 2012 18:23 GMT Anonymous Coward
  
  US only deal and not OEM copies.
  
  Only retail copies are actually upgradeable for that headline price..
  
  Not any anyone with even half a brain would actually want to pay to downgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 8.
  
  5 4
  1. Tuesday 10th July 2012 02:09 GMT Anonymous Coward
    
    Re: US only deal and not OEM copies.
    
    "Not any anyone with even half a brain would actually want to pay to downgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 8."
    
    Yeah, who needs faster boot times, performance and stability improvements, native USB 3.0, Drobo-esque storage virtualisation, a factory reset feature negating the need for reinstalls, etc. etc. After all it does have that nasty Metro UI that forces you to leave your comfort zone (assuming you've actually bothered using it for any length of time),
    
    4 4
Monday 9th July 2012 15:05 GMT ukgnome

Why wait until October? Isn't it ready yet?

1 3
1. Monday 9th July 2012 15:29 GMT Anonymous Coward
  
  Of course not. It won't be "ready" in October, either, but that won't stop them selling it.
  
  17 1
2. Tuesday 10th July 2012 01:34 GMT Mikel
  
  "Thriller" launch theme
  
  Like the Windows Phone launch.
  
  0 0
Monday 9th July 2012 15:13 GMT Dan Paul

How long will Windows 7 be supported and for sale?

How long have I got to buy a couple of copies of Windows 7 so I won't be subjected to Windows 8?

13 1
1. Monday 9th July 2012 15:25 GMT Anonymous Coward
  
  Re: How long will Windows 7 be supported and for sale?
  
  I'd imagine it will disappear from sale as soon as stocks are exhausted.
  
  As for support, if XP is anything go to by, Win7 will probably be supported till around 2100!
  
  2 1
  1. Monday 9th July 2012 15:43 GMT Anonymous Custard
    
    Re: How long will Windows 7 be supported and for sale?
    
    Between this and Surface (aka oem backstabbing), you think M$ are going to be around in 2100?
    
    Or 2014 for that matter?
    
    2 3
    1. Monday 9th July 2012 19:17 GMT Phil O'Sophical
      
      Re: How long will Windows 7 be supported and for sale?
      
      They'll likely make it past 2038, which is more than some OSes will...
      
      3 2
Monday 9th July 2012 15:15 GMT LinkOfHyrule

Is it just me or are they releasing new versions of this thing more regularly thee days? Seems like only yesterday 7 came out. Bloody windows salespeople always trying to flog you cheap crap that dosnt last! Give me a good old quality sash any day!

3 1
1. Monday 9th July 2012 15:38 GMT That Steve Guy
  
  Frequent releases
  
  I do not think you are alone here, doesn't seem like yesterday we had 7's release following on so sharply on the heels of the vista flop.
  
  My home rig still runs XP, looks like I need to get my act together to buy a Win 7 license before the Metro is forced down my throat.
  
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  1. Monday 9th July 2012 16:23 GMT Giles Jones
    
    There's the problem, 57 months from XP to Win7 was a long time. 6 years between operating systems? some people only keep their car three years.
    
    2 3
    1. This post has been deleted by its author
    2. Tuesday 10th July 2012 01:25 GMT Anonymous Coward
      
      Well, up to a point
      
      True about consumers. But sad when you think about OSes in general. I am faintly embarrassed to admit I had SunOS 4 apps running on Solaris 10 nearly twenty years later, and I only went to sol 10 to watch it flame out under Linux ^H^H^H^H... because 2.5 was the last release that ran on the ancient intel box I had.
      
      Next time you order a pizza, look closely at the little server running in the corner. It might just be one of mine.
      
      0 0
  2. Tuesday 10th July 2012 06:02 GMT Anonymous Coward
    
    "Whether that justifies the rapid turnover is a totally different matter - I don't think it does, and I think 7 should be around for a hell of a lot longer than they're letting it be."
    
    Eh? Why? It's still going to be supported until 2020, and no-one is being forced to upgrade. Why should development be slowed for no reason when no other OS (or software in general) is released in such long intervals?
    
    0 0
    1. This post has been deleted by its author
      1. Tuesday 10th July 2012 19:20 GMT Anonymous Coward
        
        Well that sounds more like a "I don't like Windows 8" issue than an problem with Microsoft moving between releases too quickly. Presumably if you thought Windows 8 was better than Windows 7 then you wouldn't have an issue with not being able to purchase Windows 7.
        
        0 0
    2. Thursday 12th July 2012 09:20 GMT Anonymous Coward
      
      '...and no-one is being forced to upgrade.'
      
      There's plenty of material around the web for you to look at which describes how Microsoft makes its money. Sorry if I can't be bothered to link to it here.
      
      0 0
  3. Tuesday 10th July 2012 12:18 GMT Tom 13
    
    @HolyFreakinGhost: If you're going to be fair,
    
    You need to recognize that 98ME was a stop-gap marketing attempt to juice the cash flow because 2000 didn't. And although XP was sold to consumers, it was a combined platform for Enterprise as it was built on the 2000 kernel. I think Enterprises adopted XP much more quickly than consumers did.
    
    0 0
3. Monday 9th July 2012 16:20 GMT Anonymous Coward
  
  Emulating Apple who do a release every year or so. Smaller releases, cheaper upgrades.
  
  Customers don't like to wait five years and then have a big massive upgrade looming where everything has moved and has been renamed.
  
  The leap from XP to Vista was quite significant.
  
  3 1
  1. Monday 9th July 2012 18:23 GMT Anonymous Coward
    
    No they wait a couple of years and have an OS where everything has moved and has been renamed..
    
    Windows 8 is a disaster-zone and best avoided.
    
    2 3
  2. Tuesday 10th July 2012 12:22 GMT Simon B
    
    The leap from XP to Vista was quite significant. - Yep, namely it was shite!
    
    Win8 is the next Vista.
    
    0 0
4. Monday 9th July 2012 16:34 GMT Anonymous Coward
  
  Annual upgrades
  
  Microsoft have stated they plan to move to annual upgrades for windows and office in the future. They are moving away from the big bang approach to more incremental builds - this will help keep the corporations from doing anything too stupid like seeking alternate platforms.
  
  0 0
5. Monday 9th July 2012 17:10 GMT John Bailey
  
  It's not just you.
  
  XP was around an unusually long time, which is what is throwing everybody. Vista was shoved behind the sofa as quick as possible, and 7 was released a few years ago I think. They were supposed to be using a 3 year release cycle from Vista on I think..
  
  No big deal though, No real need for anybody to use every release. Business will quite likely only use every second release at most, and home users will use what ever comes with the new PC.
  
  3 0
6. Tuesday 10th July 2012 05:59 GMT Anonymous Coward
  
  Windows 1.0 - 1985
  
  Windows 2.0 - 1987
  
  Windows 2.1 - 1988
  
  Windows 3.0 - 1990
  
  Windows 3.1 - 1992
  
  Windows 95 - 1995 (big surprise)
  
  Windows 98 - 1998 (and again)
  
  Windows Me - 2000
  
  Windows XP - 2001
  
  The due to the well documented issues with developing Longhorn we had to wait five years until Windows Vista, before returning to a more normal release schedule. That was the exception to the rule but due to everyone's chronically short memory span (and because everyone on the Internet is something like twelve years old it seems) it seemed to have been set as the benchmark for what the norm is.
  
  0 0
  1. Tuesday 10th July 2012 12:24 GMT Tom 13
    
    @everyone's chronically short memory span
    
    I don't think it has anything to do with short memory spans, and everything to do with the fact that until they fracked up on the XP release schedule, nobody knew how nice it could be to have a stable OS for a 5 or 6 year period. Five or six years to recover the cost of a capital investment in your company is a lot easier to swallow than every 2-3 years.
    
    Also, in the early years there was real, usable growth in what computers could do. But we've now entered the era when improvements in computing power don't actually affect the real productivity of your typical computer user. Page layout and cad work (both things I did professionally back in the day) were slow and tedious even on the expensive rigs. These days my home system would produce acceptable performance.
    
    0 0
Monday 9th July 2012 15:18 GMT Eponymous Cowherd

The wait is almost over?

"The wait is almost over," said Tami Reller, chief marketing officer of Microsoft's Windows division.

Was I supposed to be waiting for something?

12 1
1. Monday 9th July 2012 15:20 GMT dotdavid
  
  Re: The wait is almost over?
  
  "Was I supposed to be waiting for something?"
  
  I think the general consensus is "Windows 9" ;-)
  
  21 1
Monday 9th July 2012 15:21 GMT the-it-slayer

Techies...

Press your panic button now to prepare for an amass of technical support for the next 24 months!

0 2
Monday 9th July 2012 15:23 GMT Wensleydale Cheese

I wonder what those prices will be in my country

"Anyone buying a PC from today will be able to upgrade to Windows 8 for $14.95, she said, and for the rest of us the $39.99 price tag looks set in stone. "

Any guesses from non-US readers on what that will translate to in your currency?

0 0
1. Monday 9th July 2012 15:28 GMT Steve Davies 3
  
  Re: I wonder what those prices will be in my country
  
  My guess is 19.99 GBP and 49.99GBP including VAT.
  
  then there is this
  
  Resellers can make up to 23 points of margin, which Ballmer claimed was 11 points more than the competition.
  
  Who is the competition exactly?
  
  Finally, the non arrival of fondleslabs that run Windows 8 unti 2013 is an outright failure. We'll be expecting the next iPad next March (probably) and this delay gives the Android boys another chance to get their act together. Could their all signing all dancing device be running on hardware that is close to two generations out of date?
  
  Please Mr Balmer, why should I wait this long when I can buy a number of devices that will do me perfectly well today?
  
  2 0
2. Monday 9th July 2012 16:16 GMT Al Jones
  
  Re: I wonder what those prices will be in my country
  
  https://windowsupgradeoffer.com/en/Home/Faq
  
  What is the local pricing for the offer, in the 23 currencies?
  
  The price displayed is an estimated retail price at the time these FAQs were published. The actual price of the offer will vary by region since it is dependent on a variety of specific factors including exchange rate, local taxes, duties, fees, local market conditions and other pricing considerations, and may vary by each independent reseller. The actual price you pay may be more than the advertised price, due to these additional factors.
  
  AUD - Australian Dollar $14.99
  
  BRL - Brazilian Real R$29
  
  CAD - Canadian Dollar $14.99
  
  CHF - Swiss Franc Fr. 17.95
  
  CNY - Chinese Yuan ¥98
  
  DKK - Danish Krone kr. 119
  
  EUR - Euro € 14.99
  
  GBP - British Pounds £14.99
  
  HKD - Hong Kong Dollar HK$119
  
  INR - Indian Rupee INR 699
  
  ISK - Icelandic Krona 2,499 kr
  
  JPY - Japanese Yen ¥1,200
  
  KRW - South Korean Won ₩16,300
  
  MXN - Mexican Peso $199
  
  NOK - Norwegian Krone kr 119
  
  NZD - New Zealand Dollar $19.99
  
  PLN - Polish Zloty 69 zl
  
  RUB - Russian Rubles RUB 469
  
  SEK - Swedish Kronor 139 kr
  
  SGD - Singapore Dollar $17.99
  
  TRY - Turkish Lira TRY 29
  
  TWD - Taiwan Dollar NT$439
  
  USD - US Dollar $14.99
  
  2 0
  1. Monday 9th July 2012 23:39 GMT Anonymous Coward
    
    Re: I wonder what those prices will be in my country
    
    Hmmm. AUD - Australian Dollar $14.99; GBP - British Pounds £14.99.
    
    Exchange rate: 1 British pound = 1.52187132 Australian dollars.
    
    0 0
3. Tuesday 10th July 2012 20:17 GMT DigiGato
  
  Re: I wonder what those prices will be in my country
  
  In my case (México)
  
  $14.95 = $206.31 MXP
  
  $39.99 = $551.87 MXP
  
  To be honest, it is quite cheaper compared to Windows 7 current prices:
  
  Windows 7 Ultimate: $4050 MXP = $312.74 USD
  
  Anyway, I'll wait and see if it'll be ready to download in my country or if this "release" will be US only.
  
  0 0
Monday 9th July 2012 15:27 GMT Anonymous Coward

Will have to buy a copy.

Stupidly used my own tablet to try it out, instead of a work one.

It's not a complete abortion for tablets anyway, so it's not that bad.

Alas Metro sucks arse for desktops, so I'm just going to wait until there's a start button.

I don't think microsoft actually cares it's shit for desktops, they just want to bring out something that will force Apple to drop prices.

0 0
1. Monday 9th July 2012 22:55 GMT h4rm0ny
  
  Re: Will have to buy a copy.
  
  "Alas Metro sucks arse for desktops, so I'm just going to wait until there's a start button. I don't think microsoft actually cares it's shit for desktops, they just want to bring out something that will force Apple to drop prices."
  
  I think you'll have a long wait for a Start button on Windows 8. You certainly wont get one from Microsoft, though a passably reasonable kludge will probably appear from someone. But I've been trying it out on my Desktop and I actually prefer it by this point. It's better for multiple-monitors than Win7 and Metro is quicker in practice than the Start menu for most of my tasks. I'd consider myself a power user - use twenty-plus programs regularly and that number fits easily on the main Metro page. Though to launch something I typically just hit the Windows key and type the first couple of letters of what I want. I can get something launched with Metro this way in around the time it would take to reach for the mouse and move the cursor to the bottom left. No hyperbole - I actually do.
  
  4 4
  1. Tuesday 10th July 2012 08:59 GMT Tim Bates
    
    Re: Kludge
    
    "though a passably reasonable kludge will probably appear from someone."
    
    Already available..... http://lee-soft.com/news/windows-8-start-menu/
    
    0 0
  2. Tuesday 10th July 2012 14:54 GMT jonathanb
    
    Re: Will have to buy a copy.
    
    I tried Windows 8 on a Parallels VM on my Macbook. It is certainly faster than Windows 7 on the same hardware, and only slightly slower than XP, which is what I use most of the time.
    
    However, two problems with Metro. First, you have to hunt through all the non-important stuff (eg. Canon Utilities which you run once to set up the printer, then never look at again) to find the progs you actually want to run. Second, if you run your VM in window mode, useful if you regularly switch between Mac and Windows progs, finding the exact pixel on the screen that activates the Metro UI isn't that easy.
    
    0 0
Monday 9th July 2012 15:27 GMT Ken Hagan

Now with 11% more than nothing

"[Ballmer] sweetened the pot further for partners with the promise of increased margins on the Office platform. Resellers can make up to 23 points of margin, which Ballmer claimed was 11 points more than the competition."

The competition for Office?

Is there anyone still out there charging money for an alternative to Office?

Even if there is, are there any resellers out there actually offering it with a new machine?

1 0
Monday 9th July 2012 15:27 GMT Kebablog

I'm sure some people will love it, but after initial testing it's not ready for a corporate deployment.

2 0
Monday 9th July 2012 15:29 GMT jason 7

Your over confidence astounds me!

"Her boss Steve Ballmer claimed that Windows 8 would be the biggest deal for Microsoft in 17 years, since the launch of Windows 95."

Oh dear, someone's going to be a bit disappointed come October.

11 0
1. Monday 9th July 2012 15:40 GMT That Steve Guy
  
  Re: Your over confidence astounds me!
  
  Replace the word "deal" with "gamble" and you have what he's really saying.
  
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3. Monday 9th July 2012 16:23 GMT Heimdallr
  
  Re: Your over confidence astounds me!
  
  Sorry but can someone tell me why everyone is so negative about Windows 8 when it hasn't even been released yet. If it builds on Windows 7 then I predict it will be a very good OS.
  
  The incessant anti microsoft mantra is almost as tedious as the unconditional Apple lovein.
  
  2 16
  1. Monday 9th July 2012 16:43 GMT Steve Davies 3
    
    Re: Your over confidence astounds me!
    
    So you haven't tried the two previews have you?
    
    Lots of us here have and given it a solid thumbs down.
    
    As for the Apple Love-Ins... The recent stories about Apple have hardly been a 'Love-In'.
    
    Hmmm .Do you work for Microsoft then?
    
    6 0
  2. Monday 9th July 2012 22:47 GMT Blitterbug
    
    Re: Your over confidence astounds me!
    
    You utter moron. Many of us Win8 haters are devoted MS fans who feel let down by the steaming turd Microsoft have just crimped off. Read some tech news. Better yet, install the Win8 preview.
    
    7 1