MS officially launches Windows 8 after 1.24bn hours of public testing

It’s here, it’s finally here. Yes we know various developer versions of Windows 8 have been available for a while now, but this is the real McCoy.

The reason it’s taken so long to get to the public version of Microsoft’s brave new OS has a lot to do with all those developer previews. They enabled the company to take the OS through 1.24-billion hours of public testing in 190 countries.

“No product anywhere receives this kind of testing anywhere in the world,” said Steven Sinofsky, the president of Microsoft’s Windows and Windows Live division.

There won’t be a shortage of products capable of running the new OS either. Microsoft claims that there are over 1 000 certified Windows 8 PCs. A big feature of the launch was the integration of touch, mouse and keyboard and Microsoft showed off a number of devices using all three. “These are the best PCs ever made” said Sinofsky.

But Windows 8 wasn’t the only thing that launched today. Microsoft also officially launch the Windows App store in 231 markets. The store features apps for Windows 8 as well as links to existing desktop software.

We’ve already reviewed the full release of Windows 8, but it’s nice to know that the OS is finally here.