It was generally believed that Windows 8 was in lock-down mode ahead of its official release Oct. 25. But today we found out that's not the case.
Microsoft has made available pre-released versions of its highly-touted OS to developers and business customers. After the last Consumer Preview release, Microsoft said Windows 8 was essentially finished, pending further testing and bug fixes that would be addressed leading up to its commercial release later this month.
But in a blog post today, Windows president Steve Sinofsky says Microsoft has made a number of improvements, including overall performance and power management, that will be part of the new release.
Historically, Microsoft releases a Service Pack after a new release of Windows, to address bugs, performance and other issues it finds can be improved. This time, however, Sinoffsky says they wanted something out earlier.
"[We] challenged ourselves to create the tools and processes to be able to deliver these 'post-RTM' (Release to Manufacturing) updates sooner than a service pack," he says. "By developing better test automation and test coverage tools we are happy to say that Windows 8 will be totally up to date for all customers starting at General Availability."
The improvements to Windows 8 cover performance, power management and battery efficiency, media playback and compatibility. Microsoft says these improvements are available starting today via Windows Update.