Microsoft today announced that Windows 8 has hit a major milestone on the way to its October 26th release. Windows 8 has been released to manufacturing (RTM):
This means we’ve completed the product development and testing of the product and have started handing off the final code to our OEM partners. They can now begin preparing new Windows 8 PCs and devices they’ll introduce starting with General Availability.
Microsoft also announced that the final version of Windows 8 will be available to developers through MSDN on August 15th. Availability for other groups will continue through August.
New PCs with Windows 8 will be out as early as October 26th (including the Microsoft Surface for Windows RT). Users running PCs with Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7 will be able to upgrade to Windows 8 for US$39.99. More recent PC purchases will also qualify for an upgrade for US$14.99.
Read more: Microsoft