According to a report over at ZDNet.com, Microsoft's Windows 8.1 might not be available before October despite its effort to target the end of August as release to manufacturing (RTM) date.

While it is good to know the RTM date, most people will be interested in the the other final release date which Microsoft did not talk about at all. Microsoft officially announced that it wilul deliver the Windows 8.1 RTM code to OEMs by the end of August and it looks like they are right on schedule but MSDN or Technet subscribers will not get it after the RTM release, at least not according to the report at ZDNet.com.

In case of Windows 8.1, the RTM version was released on August 1st while MSDN and Technet subscribers got it in mid-August and consumers got a chance to buy in late October. Microsoft might be intentionally holding back the Windows 8.1 final launch until mid-October in order to line up the Windows 8.1 general availability date with the launch date of new hardware from OEMs that will be running on Windows 8.1.

The good part of the story is that if it gets delayed or, more precisely, held back until mid-October, it might give Microsoft a bit more time to iron out any left-over bugs.

If you are actually waiting for Microsoft Windows 8.1, it looks like you will have to wait a bit longer, until mid-October.



Source: ZDNet.com.