Microsoft Windows 8 release date in mid 2012 ?

More rumors cumming about the next Microsoft operating system Windows 8 , ZD Net reported on a recent post that Windows 8 OS for PC is expected to be released by the mid of the year 2012 according to a leaked roadmap analyzed by Mary Jo Foley  , in the same year of the release of Windows 8 for tablet which will be available from DELL in January 2012 :

Microsoft execs also are not commenting on an alleged Dell roadmap leak from last week, which made it appear as if Dell will have a Windows 8 tablet ready in time for January 2012. While I wondered aloud last week (as did at least one Wall Street analyst) whether that meant Microsoft might be further along with Win 8 for systems-on-a-chip (SoC) processors than many of us previously believed, I’ve heard since that probably isn’t the case. That would mean the Dell “Peju” Win 8 tablet could be nothing but a demo machine for select developers … and maybe a debut at a Consumer Electronics Show (CES) keynote (?)…

In any case, if Microsoft does follow history and deliver a Win 8 Beta 1, Beta 2 and Release Candidate before RTMing, Windows 8 is looking like a mid-2012 RTM. The Windows 8 train seems to be running on time — just like the Win 7 one did.

Roadmap snapshot: