Microsoft is already making OS-wide changes compared to Consumer Preview

Mar 26, 2012 12:42 GMT  ·  By

Following the release of Windows 8 Consumer Preview, the beta version of its next-generation operating system, Microsoft started work on delivering the Release Candidate version of Windows 8 in late May.

The platform was made available for the general public in Beta on February 29th this year, and is expected to hit final version in October.

Until then, however, we’ll have to wait for it to reach other milestones, including the RC and RTM iterations, both set to unveil more on what the final version will include.

At the moment, Windows 8 is in a post-beta stage, the latest reports on the matter claim. The company has Build 8306 compiled and ready for testing, though with some caveats inside.

A recent article on WinUnleaked explains that all settings, personal files and the like have been saved during the update from build 8250 to build 8306, but that build-in applications don’t work.

Some additional details on what the post-beta builds of Windows 8 include different from the previous release also emerged, so that we could make a better idea of what the Release Candidate will offer.

For example, there are Video & Music apps called Microsoft.ZuneVideo & Microsoft.ZuneMusic, a slightly modified Charms bar, an upgraded Internet Explorer 10 (Desktop version), new colors, a different Language input menu, and more.

Work on the Release Candidate of Windows 8 started back in February, even before Microsoft pushed the Consumer Preview out to the public.

Rumor has it that the platform release should be put up for download sometime in late May or early June, yet Microsoft hasn’t confirmed a specific release date for it for the time being.

As noted above, the Redmond-based software giant is expected to make the final release of Windows 8 available in October this year, when both ARM and x86 devices running under it will be launched. The platform is expected to RTM sometime in summer.

Download Windows 8 Consumer Preview Build 8250

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