Leaked version of Windows 8 reportedly hits Web
Earlier this week, Microsoft officially sent the (mostly) final Windows 8 code to hardware manufacturers, bringing the much-ballyhooed OS one step closer to the Oct. 26 launch. But according to one tech site, complete Windows 8 software may have already leaked onto the Web. Winbeta is reporting that a version of Windows 8 Enterprise has hit torrent sites 鈥� although Winbeta more testing was required to determine whether the file was real or a fake.聽
Meanwhile, The Verge has also published information on a leaked copy of Windows 8 Enterprise, an OS intended for business users. Although IT professionals "won't officially receive access to the final Windows 8 bits until August 15th," Tom Warren of the Verge, "an Enterprise version of Windows 8 is available widely across various file sharing sites." Microsoft did not return Warren's request for comment.聽
Windows 8 will ship in a range of editions, Microsoft has promised. Windows RT, for instance, is designed for tablet and smartphone users, while Windows 8 Pro is intended for hardcore users.聽Underneath the "daunting new interface are a wealth of smart decisions that go a long way towards dragging the behemoth that is Windows into the future," the team at PC Advisor recently in a hands-on test of the Windows 8 consumer preview. 聽
In related news, Microsoft may be ditching the moniker "Metro," which it had been using to describe the tiled interface on Windows 8.
At least one report that the switch-up has something to do with copyright infringement, but Microsoft says that Metro was always simply a code name. "We have used Metro style as a code name during the product development cycle across many of our product lines," a Microsoft rep ZDNet. "As we get closer to launch and transition from industry dialog to a broad consumer dialog we will use our commercial names."
