If you couldn"t keep the news straight about when Microsoft was going to release its tablet OS, don"t worry, we have new information that convolutes release dates even more. The latest rumor now says that the tablet OS will not hit retail until "the 2012 back-to-school season".
Businessweek.com is now saying that Microsoft will not push out a tablet OS until the back-to-school season for 2012. That is more than a year away which will give Apple and now Google, an even bigger jump start on the mobile market. Businessweek states:
Microsoft Corp., the world’s largest software maker, won’t release a competitor to Apple Inc. and Google Inc.’s tablet operating systems until the 2012 back-to- school season, people with knowledge of the plans said. Public testing of a new version of Windows with partners and customers will begin at the end of this year, said the people, who declined to be identified because the plans haven’t been disclosed publicly.
The previous rumors had stated that the mobile OS would possibly land in January and would be shown off this June. There was even a Dell roadmap that leaked pointing towards a January launch in 2012 but if Businessweek is correct, this information is indeed false.
Who has the right information, we cant really say at this point until Microsoft finally gives us a formal timeline. Until then, it"s a Google and Apple world where Microsoft will once again find itself playing catch-up.