Windows 8 "Release Preview" is
out now. Originally planned for
the first week of June, it looks like Microsoft couldn't wait that long, and so has shipped the software a day early.
The Release Preview is the third in Microsoft's trio of Windows 8 pre-releases. The first was the Developer Preview, back in September of last year. Instead of following up with a more traditional "beta" release, Redmond branded the next version, launched in late February, the "Consumer Preview." This final version would more traditionally be known as a Release Candidate.
The operating system is now almost complete. Compared to the Consumer Preview, the new version will include
integrated Adobe Flash, greater customization of the Start screen,
improved multimonitor usability, and a broadly improved fit and finish. What it
won't include is the new theme that
has been announced, so visual inconsistency between the desktop parts and the Metro parts will remain an issue.
