Microsoft Windows 8 To Arrive In 2012

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Bloggers uncovered a posting on Microsoft's Dutch website that said Windows 8 could be available in 2012.

Winrumors discovered the post and placed a translation on the site Sunday. The wording of the post was quickly changed on the Microsoft site to remove the Windows 8 reference, but not before one outlet posted a screenshot of the text.

The original post, according to the Winrumors translation, said, "Furthermore, Microsoft is on course for the next version of Windows. But it will take about two years before 'Windows 8' on the market."

Microsoft hasn't said officially when Windows 8 would be on the market, but the company is claiming a big hit with Windows 7, saying the operating system is the fast-selling OS in the history of the PC industry. Microsoft formally released Windows 7 a year ago on Oct. 22 and by early March had sold 90 million copies.

The latest Windows 8 report is not the first to reach the Web. In June, bloggers uncovered what was claimed to be internal Microsoft slides detailing some of the features planned for the OS.

The slides, first posted on the Italian blog Windowsette, were stamped "Microsoft Confidential" and "Under NDA." Each slide had a footnote saying, "Window 8 Discussion, This Is Not A Plan Of Record." In addition, the slides indicated that Microsoft was considering a 2012 release of Windows 8.

Among the features discussed was a version of the OS for tablet-style computers. In addition, Microsoft appeared to be focused on portability, since the slides described built-in support for motion-sensing accelerometers, ambient light sensors, GPS units, wireless networking and cameras.

In addition, Microsoft appeared to be planning a Windows "App Store." Apple announced last week that it would launch an online applications store for the Mac in 90 days.

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