consumer preview

Microsoft has finally unveiled the first publicly available edition of its upcoming Windows 8 operating system (OS). While this version of the new OS is far from complete, it does give users a solid idea of what Microsoft has done to update its ... flagship product for use with mobile devices, like tablets and smartphones. "It's an even better Windows than Windows 7," Microsoft Windows director Steven Sinofsky said at a recent demonstration of the new OS, which took place at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. "It's incredibly fast and fluid to just navigate this UI (user interface ... (view more)

Microsoft has announced that a special "Consumer Preview" edition of Windows 8 will be available from February 29, 2012. It's believed that this version of the upcoming operating system (OS) will boast more features designed for mobile devices. ... Though Microsoft isn't using this term, the release appears to be a beta edition , a version of in-development software that is complete, but not considered ready for final release and still open to revisions. The next stage after that, likely coming in the summer, is a Release Candidate , which is where the developer considers the product finished and ... (view more)

Analysts are using the recent announcement by Microsoft of a February 29, 2012, Windows 8 Consumer Preview event to predict that the company's next operating system (OS) should become commercially available late in calendar 2012. The forecast is ... based on timelines from previous Windows releases. On Wednesday, February 8, Microsoft revealed the date for its Windows 8 Consumer Preview in Barcelona, Spain: February 29, 2012. Journalists invited to the event, which coincides with the World Mobile Congress in that city, will get the first official look at a beta version of the upcoming operating ... (view more)