Windows 8 Name Is Official

It's not exactly been a well-kept secret, but Microsoft appears to have confirmed the next edition of its operating system (OS) will indeed be called Windows 8. The news comes as a date emerges for the first public beta of the system, as well as a way for users to take a look at its design right now.

To date, Microsoft has not given an official name to the new system, often taking great care to avoid doing so.

However, in a newly published promotional website for a hardware and software developer conference this September, the company specifically uses the term 'Windows 8', specifically in the tagline "In 1995, Windows changed the PC. [The] BUILD [conference] will show you that Windows 8 changes everything." (Source: windows7news.com)

The decision to go with the name Windows 8 appears to be a sign the company is very satisfied with the response to Windows 7. Had the system been poorly received in the same way as Vista, it's more likely it would have opted for a completely new style of name.

Ballmer Hopes to Win Big with Windows 8 in Vegas

While it appears the first beta copy of Windows 8 will be released to developers at the September conference, there's also a very specific rumor about the subsequent first public beta release.

The first public Beta of Windows 8 is said to be scheduled for January 9, 2012, the date on which Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer will give the company's keynote address to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

It's believed Windows 8 will be on sale sometime in the fall of next year.

Windows 8 Desktop Already Available

For those who can't wait for the public beta, there is a way to take a closer look at the system right now: it's called the Windows 8 UX Pack, but be advised -- it's known to crash and cause system instability.

The Windows 8 UX Pack is unsupported software written by a third party (not Microsoft) and runs on Windows 7 only. It allows users to run their machine as it if had the Windows 8 user interface, but it does not include any of the major feature changes that Windows 8 offers.

Because this 'tweak' software makes changes to system files, it is not recommended for everyone and thus we are not linking to the program. If you insist on installing Windows 8 UX Pack, be advised that a full system disk imaging backup is recommended incase the system needs to be reverted. (Source: betanews.com)