Windows 8: Release Preview in June

A Windows 8 Release Preview has been announced for the first week of June 2012.

With the Windows 8 operating system and its development cycle, Microsoft apparently likes to play with the classic denominations. The OS’s beta has now been nicknamed Consumer Preview. To continue with changes made to the release titles, we no longer have a Release Candidate but rather a Release Preview.

During the Windows Developer Days conference in Japan, the President of Microsoft’s Windows division finally released a date. Steven Sinofsky indicated that the Windows 8 Release Preview will be launched during the first week of June 2012.

We will have to be happy with this small piece of information, although it continues to indicate that a commercial release of the OS is being looked at for October 2012. This date has never been officially stated by Microsoft though.

Questions are continually asked about the OS, mostly related to whether a Release Preview of Windows RT will be made available, with this being the version of Windows 8 for ARM hardware.

Microsoft is releasing three major versions of their next operating system: Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro and Windows RT. To these editions we can also add Windows 8 Enterprise for large enterprises with its exclusive functions.

This last release of Windows 8 is aimed at x86/64 versions of the OS, including tactile devices such as computers and tablets. Windows RT is addressed at PC’s and tablets running the ARM architecture, with it to only be available when pre-installed on devices, with it not capable of executing x86 applications. Windows RT will nevertheless have its own versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote available for it.