Microsoft to unleash Windows 8 on 26 October

Microsoft has set 26 October as the formal release date for its Windows 8 operating system release.

The company said that the new version of Windows, which had long been targeted for a late 2012 release, would arrive to customers on the final Friday of October.

"Earlier this month at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, Tami Reller told attendees Windows 8 would be available in October," Microsoft communications manager Brandon LeBlanc noted in a company blog post.

"But now everyone has a specific date to mark on their calendars."

The date puts to rest months of speculation on when Windows 8 would be made available to the general public. At one point, analysts doubted that the platform would even be available before early 2013.

Windows 8 will be the first major update to the Windows platform since Microsoft delivered Windows 7 to suers in October of 2009.

The release will also be the first version of Windows from Microsoft to be designed for touch-enabled devices such as modern tablets.

The company said that Windows 8 will be configured for both conventional x86 tablet devices as well as ARM-based systems. Microsoft itself is planning to offer both Intel and ARM versions of its Surface tablets.