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Topic: Windows

Microsoft confirms October 25 launch for Windows 8

Summary: Microsoft officials are now confirming the Windows 8 -- and Surface RT -- launch will be on October 25 in New York City.

Mary Jo Foley

By for All About Microsoft |

It's not a big surprise to readers of this blog, but Microsoft officials confirmed on September 17 that Windows 8 will launch in New York City on October 25.

Here's the "Save the Date" invitation:

win8savethedate

Microsoft is still not sharing the specific venue, time or agenda for the launch. Microsoft officials did share that there will be a Manhattan holiday pop-up store opening this fall, but declined to say whether it would be open in time for the Windows 8 launch.

Microsoft is making Windows 8 -- and Surface RT, its first tablet running the Windows RT on ARM version of the product -- available commercially on October 26.

New York City has been Microsoft's chosen site for many of its recent Windows launches, including Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Anyone out there coming to the New York City launch on October 25? If so, anyone interested in a tweet-up/meet-up? Chime in here, if so.

 

Topics: Windows, Microsoft, Tablets, PCs

About

Mary Jo has covered the tech industry for more than 25 years for a variety of publications and Web sites, and is a frequent guest on radio, TV and podcasts, speaking about all things Microsoft-related. She is the author of Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft plans to stay relevant in the post-Gates era (John Wiley & Sons, 2008).

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71 comments
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  • W8 Launch

    I would definitely love to go as it is relatively close to where I live, but I'm afraid I will have to pass it up. I'm sure it will be all over the news anyway complete with reviews, photos, and videos.

    Having said that, I am looking forward to your review of the event here on ZDNet.
    statuskwo5
    Reply 3 Votes

    • As I recall the world was supposed to end in 2012

      I guess the date slipped to October 25th.

      LOL ;-)
      Splork
      Reply 2 Votes

  • Re:

    Why did Microsoft announce Surface so early back in June, most hype about it is already gone. Announcing it a week before the introduction of Windows 8 would've been a much better timing.
    Martijn2
    Reply Vote

    • Stave off ipad purchases...

      From what I understand, they wanted to reveal what they had coming so they could hold off on some iPad in the enterprise purchases. It worked for the very large company I am working for.. they have halted all iPads and will be replacing them with Windows tablets... not necessarily Surface tablets, but W8 tablets none the less.
      kstap
      Reply 1 Vote

      • Replacing existing devices with sight unseen devices that don't yet exist?

        Sounds like a good plan. Let us know how that works out for your company.
        matthew_maurice
        Reply 1 Vote

        • Windows 8 has been available for testing for awhile.

          For almost a year, Windows 8 preview editions have been available for testing. Corporations considering switching to tablets have had the chance to test it for awhile. Therefore, the decision to order Windows 8 tablets is not a "sign unseen" decision.
          Generalkidd
          Reply 3 Votes

        • Same here, testing Win8 for Enterprise

          Cannot really compare iOS6 with Win8, both are very different.

          With manageability, encryption local store, USB and Office - Win8 is better fit as per all the feedback we have. Its going to roll, however you want to spin
          ninjacut
          Reply 4 Votes

      • Google, Amazon, Apple

        All had press events coming up and Microsoft most likely wanted to beat them to the headlines.

        As others have said, the biggest reason was an attempt to freeze the market. Perhaps holding people off from jumping on ipads. Also to show their designs before others who might release something similar.
        Emacho
        Reply Vote

      • Stave off, or something else - off ?

        Your statement speaks volumes about your company, I'd wager they deal in
        "commode - ities " or are in some in-sundry way tied to our ever skittish Wall Street geniuses.
        materva
        Reply Vote

        • Be civil...

          There's enough vitriole to go around these days. Act like a grown up and you'll be treated like one. Your comments have no bearing on their company's decision making process. There have been "samples" of Windows 8 on tablets since the BUILD conference last year, so I think they are able to make an intelligent decision about whether to buy tablets to play Words With Friends or Angry Birds vs. REAL WORLD BUSINESS APPLICATIONS! WOW! WHAT A CONCEPT!?
          BeenThereDunnThat
          Reply Vote

    • Because

      if someone else releases another tablet with some of the stuff their's has, they will later be accused of having copied them. This way it works the other way around.
      BR999
      Reply 2 Votes

    • I can tell you.

      The Surface announcment never really made it much farther than the IT crowd to begin with.

      The fact remains, if you talk to Joe Blow Average consumer he still knows little to nothing about Windows 8 coming up and if you start talking about "Surface" you better be ready to give a more fulsome explaination of what a "Surface" is because the people I have mentioned it to, not at all in IT in any way, do not even know what a "Surface" is.

      The hype as you call it was only for the IT industry. Public hype will have to start from fresh because right now the public largely dosnt know what a "Surface" is.
      Cayble
      Reply 1 Vote

      • Cayble

        I am Joe Blow, Common Joe, and Joe Six-pack obviously not the part of the “IT crowd”; 72 years old part time teacher and PC with Windows 8 user. Go ahead “talk” to me and I can probably tell you more about Windows 8 and the Surface than you will ever know.
        ladislaver
        Reply Vote

        • @ ladislaver Ha. Then you are not Joe Blow/Joe Six Pack....

          ...no matter what you think in terms of typical public knowlege about IT.

          Look, Im not trying to make enemies here, Im just telling you, I just work in an office with dozens of people who use computers in the workplace, have a computer at home and have a smartphone of some brand.

          Out of the dozens that work in this particular office, all are very well educated, but only 2 or 3 of us have a personal interest in things IT related. We are the 3, maybe 4 in an office of dozens who have heard of the Surface and know what it is.

          I mentioned to one of the clerks in our office the other day when I upgrade my old iPhone I am thinking of going to a Windows phone and got looked at like I had three heads. "Whats a Windows phone" I was asked. Thats Joe Average Im afraid to tell you. Not someone who could tell me anything about a Windows Surface. Of course, there are always those out there who have varying degrees of knowledge. Some will have head the term, some will actually understand its some new kind of tablet, some will understand its a tablet with the Windows 8 OS on it, some will understand even more. But in the earliest days of this kind of a product release, the true non IT savvy types will most often not even know what an OS is, never mind what a Windows Surface is.

          My father is 80. He knows what a Windows Surface is as well. Hes a retired real estate agent. Hes never worked in IT, never had a lesson in computers, but he IS NOT Joe Average, and I strongly suspect neither are you.

          And by the way, the only conceivable way you could tell me something of the least bit of interest about the Windows Surface I don’t already know is if you invented the thing. And that would most certainly make you NOT “Joe Average”.
          Cayble
          Reply Vote

    • Microsoft knew what was coming..

      plus they had to give the OEM partners to fully absorb the impact and opportunity of the win 8 tablets..

      Competition dictates these announcements and MS needed to preempt google, amazon and obviously Apple.. by announcing the rollout back in June MS told the corp world that they do not need to go with iPads and they could have blunted sales until everyones gets a look at the surface and the OEM version
      esposito.rob
      Reply 1 Vote

    • Martijn2

      MS doesn't want to follow in Apple footsteps. It’s not about hype, but about substance. I am sure that at the event they will also avoid words like "miraculous” and "magical". I have installed the trial version of Windows 8 on my 7 years old HP laptop and I never been happier with operating system. I will try to be first in line to buy the Surface.
      ladislaver
      Reply Vote

  • Hope all the Robert Hahns got their 15 minutes of hate in

    Now that product launch dates are starting to be announced, their old memes are going to need replacing. Hopefully Apple got their bang for buck with that one that they were hoping for. Onto the next script.

    At least they still have the "no launch date or price for the Nokia 920" script. Robert et al, better make sure you get maximum use out of that one before those are announced. Then make sure you drop it, no more mention of it, distance yourselves from your past posts, and move on to the next script. Rinse, repeat. You've been doing this long enough, your pattern has been detected and exposed.
    toddbottom3
    Reply 5 Votes

    • The only thing worse than harping on the lack of release date,

      is trumpeting the mere fact that there _is_ a release date. Congratulations to Microsoft and all the Windows 8 team on the monumental achievement of, gasp...a ship date!

      So now we get to start the "90 day" clock on the Surface Pro.
      matthew_maurice
      Reply 1 Vote

      • Not really. Not reallly at all.

        Love the effort but...

        FAIL.

        It just cannot be let go when you have jackasses on one hand who post about things like "vapourware", "no release dates", etc. etc. and then when they get called on the rediculous nature of the post another jackass posts about how bad it is to complain that someone is making jackass posts.

        Juust truly a wonderful scheme. Great if you make it work.

        I guess it goes like this; "You say something insulting that really has no merit, but when they have the proof what you said has no merit, I will jump in and say they are idiots for pointing out what you said has no merit. They cannot win, they lose if they stay silent, lose if they complain about your meritless posts."

        Like I said, great scheme if it works. But it dosnt.
        Cayble
        Reply Vote

        • Not really. Not reallly at all.

          Thanks for saying that. You beat me to the punch!
          petin_y@...
          Reply Vote
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