Updated: July 11, 2020 (July 23, 2012)
Analyst ReportNext Windows Approaching General Availability
Windows 8, Windows RT, and Windows Server 2012 will release to manufacturing (RTM) in late July or early Aug. 2012 and begin general availability (GA) in Sept. 2012. Although Microsoft has announced that Windows Phone 8 will share the same code base, it is on a different development schedule and the RTM and GA dates for this product are still unknown.
The GA date is important for two reasons: customers will be able to purchase the products then via volume licensing programs, such as Open and Select, and customers who want to take advantage of Software Assurance (SA) rights, such as license grants to the new version, must have active SA coverage as of the GA date.
Customers who purchase Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 preinstalled on hardware from OEMs will have to wait until Oct. 2012 for availability from this channel (although actual availability could vary by manufacturer). Microsoft has said that new systems with ARM processors and Windows RT preinstalled should also begin to be available in October.
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