Microsoft has opened up Windows 8 to manufacturers, as it gears up for its most significant launch in years.
Windows 8 will be made available to the general public on 26 October, but Microsoft has finished its work on the operating system, handing the final code to OEM partners, who will now work on mass producing devices running the software.
Microsoft has also opened up more to developers. App submissions have been restricted to invitation-only until now. Any company within a “supported locale” is now able to submit an app for the Windows Store.
Developers can also start charging for apps – something they were unable to do during the preview phase.
From 15 August, individual developers building new apps for Windows 8 will be able to download the final version of Windows 8, as long as they have an MSDN subscription. On the same day, IT professionals who have been testing Windows 8 will be able to get the full version via a TechNet subscription.
“With improvements in fundamentals, enhanced storage and connectivity, newly architected subsystems, the “fast and fluid” user experience, and the WinRT platform (to name a few), Windows 8 has literally thousands of new features,” the Windows 8 team said in a blog post.
“Some of the most exciting innovations with Windows 8 are yet to come—the innovations from developers building apps on the new WinRT platform.
“While we have reached our RTM milestone, no software project is ever really ‘done’. We will continue to monitor and act on your real world experiences with Windows 8 – we’ve used the preview process to test out our servicing and we have every intent of doing a great job on this next important phase of the product.”
It emerged earlier this week that Microsoft will be releasing its Surface tablet on 26 October, so it will be one of the first to release hardware running Windows 8 as it looks to challenge Apple’s dominance of the tablet market.
Numerous partners have committed to supporting Windows 8, with tablets from Samsung coming soon, as well as PCs from the likes of Dell and HP.
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