iPad 3 Release Date Approaches: Will Windows 8 Rival Apple's New Tablet?
Two of the biggest names in the technology world, Apple and Microsoft, are cluttering the Internet with hype surrounding their upcoming releases. Apple’s iPad 3 is said to be available on March 7th, and Microsoft’s new operating system Windows 8 just launched their consumer preview yesterday. Although the two manufacturers’ operating systems usually cater to a different crowd, their target audiences may be intertwining. Microsoft

The launch of Windows 8 was one of the hottest topics at CES 2012. Windows 8 is Microsoft's next-generation operating system following Windows 7. Its special feature is that it is expected to support laptop, desktop and tablet PCs. In tablet PC, users can choose either Windows 8 metro-style UI (user interface) or if necessary, desktop-style, which is similar to the existing Windows UI.

According to a report from Pocket-lint, Janelle Poole, Microsoft's director of public relations, has given a strong hint about the launch date of Windows 8.

We haven't talked about the release date and we generally don't. We are talking milestone to milestone, so for us right now we're talking about the next milestone being the consumer preview happening in late February.

One of the things that I think is a good guideline, though, is we've always said that Windows releases come round about every three years and this year will be three years in October since we launched Windows 7. So I think that's a good guideline to consider, Poole said.

Based on media rumors and comments, the October launch date seems fixed. But some say the launch of Windows 8 will not necessarily follow the 3-year cycle. Windows Vista was launched in January 2007. And Windows 7 was launched in October 2009.

Will Windows 8 be able to change the present market composition? It's too early to tell, but Windows 8 has its fair share of drawbacks. It does not support all type of laptops, and many users also take tablet PC and mobile as separate devices and distinct from desktop PCs. Are they ready for an operating system that can work seamlessly on mobile devices as well as a desktop PC? Over to Microsoft.

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