[Rumour] Windows 8 to RTM in April 2012

There have been all manner of rumours about Windows 8 in the last few months and some of them have proven to be true.  Respected ZD Net journalist Mary-Jo Foley has come into some information on Microsoft’s planned timetable for their next generation OS.

According to one of her sources the Windows 8 RTM (Release to Manufacturing) date will be April 2012.  The source also claims the beta will be released this September at the BUILD Conference 2011 (this takes place between September 13th and 16th).

Now I’m not so certain what to believe on this score and I’m usually loathe to repeat rumours.  However let’s look at this logically.  I myself have been expecting Microsoft to formally announce Windows 8 this coming September for one reason.  This being that the company desperately needs a good showcase of Windows 8 tablets and laptops at the Consumer Electronics Show next year.  This show always takes place around the 4th January, which is a good couple of weeks before Microsoft shows kick off, later that month.

They can’t have all manner of companies showing off Windows 8 before a formal announcement is made, as this just isn’t the way Microsoft (or any company come to think of it) works.  Thus I have long believed we’ll see a formal announcement in September and a beta programme around two months later.

But I’ve also believed that Microsoft would be shipping the RTM version of Windows 8 in time for computer hardware manufacturers to get machines out for the return to school / college period in the Autumn.  This is a critical sales period and lots of computer manufacturers got angry and upset when Windows 7 missed that schedule.

It’s reasonable to assume then that the RTM would occur about a month or two before, in June or July.  April just seems far too early for me as Microsoft want good news as soon as Windows 8 launches and the summer is traditionally the slow sales period.

However, things are more complicated now because we’ll have an embedded version of Windows 8 launching at the same time as the regular one.  It will take hardware manufacturers much longer to get this appropriately modified and programmed onto chips that then have been installed into tablets and other low-power devices, this takes much longer than copying an image onto a PC.  From this perspective an April RTM makes complete sense as it will provide the hardware manufacturers with the time they’ll need to get this job done.

My personal opinion, and everything is speculation at this point, is that the ARM version of Windows 8 will RTM a couple of months before the regular edition.  This will make sure that it’s not widely leaked before-hand and that embedded and installable versions of Windows appear on computers at the same time next autumn.

As I’ve said, all of this is rumour, Mary-Jo would never post anything that didn’t have a grounding in fact, but it’s still not the complete picture.  There are still too many variables to consider.

Personally I’m sticking with my estimates (above) of what is going to be released when and why.  I’d certainly be very interested in hearing your comments on this too.

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