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Microsoft's Windows 8 Coming in Late October

Angela Moscaritolo
 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

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Waiting with bated breath for Windows 8? Microsoft today officially revealed that the highly anticipated operating system will be available this fall, as was widely rumored.

Windows 8 will be released to manufacturing the first week of August and the first PCs running the new operating system will go on sale at the end of October, Tami Reller, corporate vice president of Windows, said at Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto. Windows 8 will be available in 109 languages across 231 markets worldwide.

"Windows 8 is simply the biggest deal from our company in at least 17 years," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said during the first keynote of the conference. "It's a huge opportunity for our partners, and a very big deal for Microsoft."

At RTM, meanwhile, Microsoft will also turn on its commerce platform, which will allow developers to start earning money from their apps. More details about that will be released soon, the company said. At this point, apps are free to try within the Windows 8 Release Preview.

Microsoft officials also touted the success of other products during the event. To date, more than 630 million Windows 7 licenses have been sold, and more than half of enterprise desktops today are running Windows 7, Reller said. Also, Microsoft Office is currently on more than a billion desktops worldwide.

Meanwhile, Microsoft on Monday also announced plans to acquire Perceptive Pixel Inc. (PPI), a six-year-old maker of large-scale multi-touch workstations, for an undisclosed amount.

"The acquisition of PPI allows us to draw on our complementary strengths, and we're excited to accelerate this market evolution," Kurt DelBene, president of Microsoft's Office Division, said in a statement. "PPI's large touch displays, when combined with hardware from our OEMs, will become powerful Windows 8-based PCs and open new possibilities for productivity and collaboration."

In other Windows 8 news, Microsoft last week announced that users with PCs running Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7 will be able to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $39.99. Users in 131 markets will be able to purchase the upgrade package at windows.com when Redmond releases the new operating system this October.

For more, see PCMag's Hands On With Windows 8 Release Preview and the slideshow below.

Windows 7 made its debut on Oct. 22, 2009.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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