Windows 8 Enters the Final Phase Before Release

Microsoft announced Wednesday it was releasing Windows 8 to its manufacturer partners. That means it’s all done tweaking and finalizing the operating system, which is now ready to be incorporated into products.

PC makers such as Lenovo, Asus and Toshiba will certainly be happy to get their hands on the final build of Windows 8, which will let them put the final touches on the first round of PCs that will ship with the new OS when it goes on sale Oct. 26.

It’ll also let them create proper drivers and software for existing Windows 7 machines, most of which will be able to run Windows 8.

In a blog post, Microsoft’s Windows chief, Steven Sinofsky, lauded his team for the work they’ve put into Windows 8.

“Back when we first demonstrated Windows 8 in May 2011, we described it as ‘reimagining Windows, from the chipset to the experience,’ and that is what Windows 8 (and Windows RT) represents for both Microsoft and partners,” he wrote. “Together we are bringing to customers a new PC experience that readies Windows PCs for a new world of scenarios and experiences, while also preserving an industry-wide 25-year investment in Windows software.”

Sinofsky also said the most exciting innovations were “yet to come” — referring to the work developers will soon begin crafting Windows 8 apps. Developers will be able to download the final build of Windows 8 on Aug. 15, and the following day (Aug. 16), business customers will be able to download the Windows 8 Enterprise edition so they can run pilot programs with it and start testing.

More than 16 million PCs participated in the pre-release testing of Windows 8, Sinofsky revealed, installing some version of the pre-release software — the most participants ever for a pre-release of any software Microsoft has ever done. The most recent publicly available build, the Release Preview, was downloaded 7 million times in just eight weeks.

Windows 8 completely re-imagines the Windows to be friendly to both traditional PCs and toucscreen devices like tablets. In doing so, it borrows the minimalist design aesthetic of Windows Phone, called Metro.

Are you looking forward to Windows 8? Share your thoughts on Microsoft’s new PC operating system in the comments. (Mashable.com)