Back in February, Microsoft unveiled an unfinished version of Windows 8 for the tech world to inspect. What reviewers found with a seamless operating system that really did live up to all the hype surrounding it – and that was before Microsoft fixed any hang-ups and polished the OS thoroughly. Microsoft is still in the process of making sure that Windows 8 is absolutely perfect, but Bloomberg is now reporting that the company plans to release the finished version of Windows 8 in October of 2012.

Even if you aren’t a Windows fan and you don’t have any current use for a new version of Windows 8 for your desktop, there are a lot of other companies banking on the new OS and you just may find yourself purchasing a tablet or two that runs via Windows 8.

Tablet Manufacturers Wait for Microsoft to Finish

As mentioned, a few tablet manufacturers are attempting to decide between the latest Android platform and the upcoming Windows 8 platform. One of the biggest companies that might be rolling out an all new Windows 8-based tablet is Dell. Dell has said for some time that the company is impressed with what Windows has to offer, and it certainly looks like Dell will be completing a tablet that’s Windows 8-based sometime in the very near future.

The news that Microsoft is expected to finish Windows 8 by October is great news for a company like Dell. Tablet manufacturers want to complete and send new tablets to market prior to the holiday season, and the last possible month to incorporate a new OS would be October. Thus, it is very likely that you will see a Windows 8-based Dell tablet on the market in October or November, so keep your eyes open for the tablet that is highly anticipated from Dell.

Where you want to be In April

If you have any pull within the tech world and you want to find out what’s happening with Windows 8, you’ll want to stay in touch with Microsoft via email and newsletter throughout the rest of this month into April. Mashable is reporting that Microsoft will hold an event in April and that the new OS will likely be announced (including a release date) during this event.

Microsoft has been hard at work on the new OS for many months now, all with the goal of proving that Microsoft is still very much in the OS game. Even though the company has largely gone off the radar as far as operating systems are concerned, don’t brush off what Microsoft has to offer just yet. While some are expecting Windows 8 to be less than fabulous, others (who have had the chance to test the beta version of the OS, mind you) are impressed with what Microsoft has come up with. Whether or not you like the new OS will remain to be seen, but you can bet that a number of tablets sporting the new OS will attempt to cut into the iPad’s territory during the upcoming holiday season.