A public Windows 8 beta will be released in late February, Microsoft revealed Tuesday.
The announcement was made in conjunction with a San Francisco preview of the Windows Store, Microsoft's answer to the Mac App Store.
"The Windows Store will be available when Windows 8 Beta is released, and we want customers to experience some great new apps at that time," Microsoft said in a blog post.
There were reports earlier this year that Microsoft might release a Windows 8 beta at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January. But while Steve Ballmer is likely to chat up the company's next OS during his Jan. 9 keynote, it appears the actual release will be available several weeks later.
All Windows Store apps released during the beta period, meanwhile, will be free.
"We won't be supporting paid apps on our transaction platform during Beta," Microsoft said. "We will hold off on the release of platform transaction support in a future milestone. Beta will help test and reinforce our scale model. It's a feedback opportunity regarding our onboarding and certification process, and a chance for developers to get early feedback on their Metro style apps."
For more, see PCMag's Hands On with Windows 8 Developer Preview, which was released in September, and the slideshow below.