windows-8

Windows 8 to ship on October 26

Wilson Rothman NBC News

July 18, 2012 at 4:45 PM ET

Microsoft

A screenshot showing Windows 8 being installed on a PC.

Steven Sinofsky, Microsoft's head of Windows, just announced at a sales meeting that Windows 8 would ship on October 26. We knew it would be October, but now we know exactly when during that month. This may mean that the Windows 8 RT Surface tablets will ship then too, as Microsoft said as much in June, but we'll have to verify that.

As a reminder, the upgrade to Windows 8 on an existing Windows computer will cost just $40, though buying an upgrade DVD will cost $70. However, since the biggest benefits of Windows 8 are in the touch interface, your better bet is to buy a system — like the Surface tablet — that'll let you get digital (and by that I mean, "busy with your fingers").

Wilson Rothman is the Technology & Science section editor at NBCNews.com. Catch up with him on Twitter at @wjrothman, and join our conversation on Facebook.