Windows 8 beta as soon as Q4 2011? (with ARM support)

A leaked roadmap of Windows 8 Milestone 2 development is hinting that the next version of Windows could be very close to release, educated sources have even indicated that it might get a beta release in Q4 this year.

Windows 8 is said to be a hugely progressive release from Microsoft as it is going to be the first Windows release to support both X86 and ARM architectures. By releasing an operating system with support for ARM, it looks as if Microsoft are trying to help the British chip maker to get more exposure with a mainstream audience and in server farms. Intel have been said to be a little concerned about this development.

ZDNet received this leaked roadmap and it highlights that work on Windows 8 Milestone 2 has now been completed with work on Milestone 3 to start early next week.

The ‘Milestone' releases are basically internal Alpha builds released to Windows Engineers and a select few third parties for testing. Windows 8 is said to be under three Milestone Alpha builds before it goes to beta status which indicates that work could actually be finished by the end of 2011.

KitGuru says: Windows 8 perfect for the mobile market space? It looks as if Microsoft want it opened up to as wide an array of hardware as possible.

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