Microsoft To Unleash Surface Tablet Simultaneously With Windows 8

Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system hits consumer retail on October 26. However, in its latest 10-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Microsoft have now revealed that its Surface tablet, designed in parallel with the new operating system, will be on sale on the same date, “The next version of our operating system, Windows 8, will be generally available on October 26, 2012,” Microsoft said in its annual report. “At that time, we will begin selling the Surface, a series of Microsoft-designed and manufactured hardware devices”.

Given the controversy surrounding Windows 8 for its Metro interface and Surface over its competition with long-standing hardware partners, this will be an interesting launch to watch. The SEC filing is linked to below and gives a large amount of detail on Microsoft’s current and future operations, if one can plough through it all.