Microsoft gears up for global Windows 8 launch on October 26

Just a reminder to all of you Windows users out there: Windows 8 launches tomorrow at 12:01 AM local time all around the world. Microsoft is gearing up for this global launch with the opening of a ton of temporarily retail locations, and today the company held a launch event for the new OS in New York City. Sadly, we didn’t get many new details at the event, but it did its part to ramp up anticipation for the all-new OS.

So, is Windows 8 worth it? We think it is, as the new OS offers a number of improvements over previous versions of Windows. It’s true that the changes to the Start menu and the UI will take some getting used to, but once you’re familiar with them, it’s easy to like Windows 8. Of course, we can’t make decision of whether or not to buy for you, but luckily the upgrade to Windows 8 starts at $39.99 (if you’re upgrading from XP, Vista, or Windows 7 before the end of January), so if you do decide to take the plunge, it won’t require a hefty investment.

If you already know that you want Windows 8, there are a few ways to go about buying it. You can pick it up at various retailers all around the world, including Best Buy and Staples here in the US, or you can order directly from Microsoft. You can also download the new OS if you aren’t interested in waiting for a boxed copy to arrive, so you have a few options when it comes to buying Windows 8.

Windows 8 is just one part of Microsoft’s full-on Windows assault. In addition to a new version of Windows, Microsoft is also launching Surface, a new tablet running Windows RT. The company isn’t stopping there though, as it will be launching Windows Phone 8 next week. It’s certainly an exciting time to be a Microsoft fan (as long as you dig the new Modern UI), so tell us – will you be picking up Windows 8 when it launches tomorrow?

Story Timeline

Microsoft gears up for global Windows 8 launch on October 26 is written by SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Related posts

Latest posts

Mystery upcoming phone may see Asus copy Samsung’s playbook

A benchmarking test has revealed a possible new Asus smartphone, which happens to take part of its name from a familiar Samsung phone.

AMD just confirmed my fears about the RX 9000 series

Many leaks pointed to a particular release date for the RX 9000 series, but AMD now confirms that they were all wrong.

6 announcements we expect from Samsung’s Galaxy S25 event on Wednesday

Samsung is kicking the new year off with an Unpacked event to set the tone for what’s to come in 2025. Here's everything we expect the company to unveil.

Apple could finally be about to fix the Mail app on your Mac

Apple’s Mail app has fallen behind the best email apps, but a new update -- with an injection of Apple Intelligence -- could help it catch up to its rivals.

Our current favorite camera phone is about to get a successor

Xiaomi's upcoming flagship wasn't expected until March, but the company now says that we'll see the phone in a few short weeks.

Microsoft’s Copilot app has a new icon, and it’s causing problems

Bad news if you have a PC with a low resolution since Microsoft’s new Copilot app icon is almost impossible to decipher on them, according to . Microsoft’s new logo now includes a bit of text embedded in the icon, which, depending on the resolution of your screen, might be impossible to read. Windows Central […]

It could be a long while before we get an OLED MacBook Air

New information suggests that that Apple is planning a new display for the 2027 MacBook Air -- but it won't be OLED.

Nvidia might’ve just given you a reason to skip RTX 50-series

Nvidia's upcoming RTX 50-series GPUs have some exclusive features, but Nvidia doesn't rule out the possibility of backporting them.

Latest Galaxy S25 details tease us ahead of Unpacked reveal

Galaxy S25 Ultra marketing materials have leaked that highlight several notable features, and we also know a little bit about the price, too.

Oppo’s upcoming ultra-thin foldable will also be ready for watery adventures

Oppo says that its next phone will not only be the world's thinnest foldable out there, but also one with the the best durability and wireless charging pace.