Windows 8 Release Date Rumored for Autumn 2012

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Windows 7 is one of the best-selling computer OS in the world, and I think such honors are definitely not that hard to reach considering that everyone, and their grandmother, has at least one computer it relies to for work-related chores or leisure, but also because Microsoft made sure a long time ago it will control the computer business with a pretty firm grip for a long time to come.

Therefore Windows 8 will probably be the next PC OS to become the best sold in the world, in the following years. In fact today we have a rumored release date window for the next Windows version (pun intended) and it looks like the new OS will be here a lot sooner than you may think.

The word on the street is that Windows 8 will hit stores in fall of 2012 and the hint comes straight from Microsoft’s Vice President for Strategic and Emerging Business Development, Dan’I Lewin. Talking at start-up LAUNCH event at the Microsoft Silicon Valley campus he said about Windows 8:

“We’ve made the point about having a developer conference later this year. Then typically we enter a beta phase, and then in 12 months we’re in the market, so let’s make that assumption.”

Windows 7 was launched in fall 2009, so it’s a fairly new OS which people certainly still enjoy. Of course, considering that Vista was one of the worst Windows version Microsoft ever launched it didn’t take much for Windows 7 to become popular. Windows Vista was launched in early 2007, or about three years before Windows 7, so it kind of makes sense to see Windows 8 arrive in late 2012.

But should we really be excited about Windows 8? Will Microsoft be able to deliver an even better computer OS. And more importantly, will Microsoft succeed transforming Windows into a touch-friendly environment ready for touchscreen-based interfaces and Windows tablets? After all the PC era, while not dead, is slowly moving to a place where touch, gestures and even voice tend to trump other input mechanisms. And Microsoft hasn’t been all that good at making Windows 7 touch- and user-friendly at the same time.