Windows 8 takes big RTM step toward consumers

::::Microsoft announced today that Windows 8
has been released to manufacturing
(RTM'd ). (The final build number is 9200.)
At the same time, Microsoft's Internet
Explorer 10, Windows Server 2012 and
Visual Studio 2012 also have reached the
RTM milestone, given all of these products
have been developed in lockstep with
Windows 8. (I am not 100 percent sure if
Windows RT also RTM'd simultaneously
and do not believe Microsoft officials ever
promised this would be the case.)
Microsoft officials said earlier this month
to expect Windows 8 to RTM in the first
week of August. (I modified this wording in
my coverage to "by the first week of
August," knowing the propensity of
Windows execs to pad their dates a bit in
order to never be late.) As those same
execs also noted previously, Windows 8
will be generally available via retail and
preloaded on new PCs and tablets on
October 26 .
However, some will be able to get their
hands on the Windows 8 RTM bits a lot
sooner. MSDN and TechNet subscribers get
the bits on August 15. Volume licenses
with Software Assurance will get it on
August 16( @bhadoosky 's bday); volume licensees without SA
will get the bits September 1, according to
a Windows Team blog post today.: