Windows 8 Beta Release Date Scheduled For February 2012

Windows 8 will be the next-generation operating system from Microsoft and all details point to a late 2012 launch date. The latest information regarding Microsoft’s operating system also confirm this statement as the company has officially announced that the Windows 8 Beta release date is February 2012.

The beta version of the operating system will be available as a free download for all users worldwide. Even though Windows 8 will be first released for tablets, we expect the OS to be released concomitantly for desktop PCs and laptops, while other category of devices and architectures will follow soon.

Microsoft expects to add the final features of Windows 8 by January 2012, then fix several bugs that would make the OS unusable, and eventually releasing it around Valentine’s Day. If things go according to plan like they did with Windows Phone 7 Mango, then the company might “miss” the deadline and push the Beta version during CES 2012 timeframe.

Windows 7 was released on January 9, 2009, and it was an instant hit on the internet as millions of users rushed to download Redmond’s latest software. Users loved Windows 8 right from the start because it was different (in a good way) than Windows XP and Vista, and because it simply worked, unlike the other two who experienced a lot of lag, crashes, and bugs.

Above, I mentioned Windows Phone 7 Mango, the biggest update so far for the mobile OS which brought multitasking, IE9, and many other features to Microsoft’s smartphone division. The company completed the work faster and they pushed the OS to OEMs two weeks earlier. OEMs were forced to work extra time at the OS and Mango was pushed to the users (you guessed!) two weeks earlier than expected.

Anyway let’s get back to Windows 8 which has been downloaded more than 3 million times so far by the developers. The Dev Beta version isn’t the software that will be available for the public, says Microsoft. A company spokesperson said that the Public Beta will be released when “it’s ready” and when it’s close enough to the final product.

The Redmond-based company also expects to fix the issues related to the ARM architecture to be solved sometime in February, but we will be given updates as soon as Microsoft has something new to say regarding this matter.

Are you excited yet? The first people to get Windows 8 Beta will be the devs with a MSDN account so if you don’t have one already, now would be a good time to subscribe. The spokesperson declined to comment on the final name of the OS which is expected to be different from “8″ so we still have pretty much to learn about it.