Windows 8 release date finally announced

After spending what seems like eons with the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, Microsoft has finally given us a release date for Windows 8. We already knew that the next version of Microsoft's famous OS was going to be hitting shelves in October, but now, thanks today's announcement from Steven Sinofsky during the company's annual sales meeting, we have the actual day: October 26, 2012.

So, if you've loved what you've seen of Windows 8 so far, you don't have that much longer to wait until you can finally get your hands on the full version. How many different versions of Windows 8 Microsoft will be offering seems to be up in the air at the moment, with recent rumors claiming that Microsoft may be looking to axe the retail version of Windows 8 entirely. If it does that, there's a chance that Microsoft may choose to only offer the Windows 8 upgrade and an OEM version of the OS.

The good news is that the upgrade to Windows 8 will only cost $40 through January 31, 2013, so long as you're upgrading from Windows XP or later. This means that the Windows 8 upgrade will cost significantly less than past Windows upgrades, but you'll have to be fast if you want to take advantage of the low price.

Now that we have a firm release date, more details about Windows 8 will likely start pouring out soon, so keep it tuned to SlashGear for more Windows 8 news.

[via Windows Blog]