Microsoft Exec Hints at Windows 8 Release 2012, Fall

A Microsoft executive has hinted that Windows 8 could be released next fall. But it's not clear if the comments are based on genuine insider information or if they merely represent speculation.

The comments came from Dan'l Lewin, a corporate vice president responsible for Microsoft's relationships with other businesses, both major firms and start-up companies.

Regarding the Windows timescale he said, " ... if you look at the crystal ball and just say what happened in the past is a reasonable indicator of what our forward looking timelines will be .... we've made the point about having a developer conference later this year ...[we then expect to] enter a beta phase, and then in 12 months we're in the market, so let's make that assumption." (Source: techradar.com)

Based on this information, a Windows 8 release in September or October 2012 would be likely.

New Windows Desktop Editions Every 3 Years

A fall 2012 release date would put Windows 8 on schedule for three years after Windows 7 went on general sale.

That certainly fits in with previous schedules for the main desktop editions of the system: Windows 7 came three years after Vista, XP came just over three years after Windows 98, which -- logically enough -- followed on three years after Windows 95, which followed Windows 3.1 three years earlier.

The big exception, of course, was Vista, which took five years to show up after its predecessor, Windows XP. That delay may have contributed to its poor response, with the system failing to live up to the inevitable expectations given the time it took to produce.

First Windows 8 Beta Release Could Be Near

If Lewin's comments prove correct, we are only a few months away from seeing the first fully working edition of the system, at which point the main features and enhancements will be confirmed.

As previously reported, there are some significant developments in Windows 8 which could make the timescale a tougher deadline than usual. It will be the first Windows system to run on both the Intel-style processors present in most desktop and notebook computers and the ARM processor associated with smartphones.

It will also represent the first version of Windows designed to work seamlessly on both touch screens and traditional keyboard/mouse set-ups. Finally, it will be the first major Windows system that has minimum hardware specifications lower than its predecessor. (Source: itproportal.com)