14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is getting ready to make the next version of its Windows 8 platform available for users in the very near future.
In fact, the Redmond-based software giant might be set to make the platform release available either today or tomorrow, the latest reports on the matter suggest.
Apparently, Microsoft themselves let it slip that the new flavor of the operating system is nearing its official availability fast.
In a post on the new Windows 8 Hardware blog – which has already been removed –, Chuck Chan, corporate vice president on the Windows Development team, talked about the availability of the new OS release.
“We’re very excited to make available today the Windows 8 Release Preview on the Windows Dev Center,” his post stated (the guys over at TheNextWeb managed to grab the text before being pulled).
Chuck Chan also offered details on what the development of hardware for Windows 8 was all about, and he urged devs to grab the necessary tools for getting started with the development of drivers for the platform.
“To get started, download and install Windows 8 Release Preview, the Windows Driver Kit 8, and Visual Studio Professional 2012. The Windows 8 SDK is also included with Visual Studio. As you begin using Windows 8, you’ll notice that we’ve added new features and improved existing ones,” he said.
Apparently, the post was set to go online only tomorrow, June 1st, but it slipped online a bit early. However, it does suggest that the new flavor of Windows 8 is about to become officially available.
In early May, Microsoft announced that Windows 8 Release Preview would become official in the beginning of June. No specific release date was offered, but many expected it to land in the first week of the month.
A certain build 8400, believed to be the final version of Windows 8 Release Preview, emerged online a few days ago, further suggesting that the official launch is drawing near.
The platform should bring along a range of enhancements over the previous releases, and it is expected to pave the way towards the availability of the final flavor of Windows 8 sometime in October.
Update June 1st: The platform has been already released, with all the aforementioned enhancements inside, and some others more.