In a about the Release Preview, Steven Sinofsky, president of Microsoft's Windows and Windows Live Division, said that, if the Windows 8 development continues at its current pace, it's likely that the OS will be available "for the holidays." That would apply both to Windows 8 for devices based on x86 chips from Intel and AMD, and to the Windows 8 version for devices based on ARM chips, called Windows RT.

Some have speculated that most enterprises may bypass Windows 8 altogether, because many companies are just now upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7. Enterprises typically do desktop OS refreshes every three to five years, and sometimes wait even longer to embark on what is a very complex and costly upgrade process.

That's what recent research from Forrester Research indicates, according to Forrester analyst David Johnson. "It'll be a slow uptake in the enterprise for Windows 8," he said.

More likely drivers of Windows 8 adoption will be consumers buying new Windows 8 PCs for personal use, and buying tablets to take advantage of the "bring your own device" trend, where consumers would use Windows 8 tablets both at home and at work, he said.

"IT organizations won't willingly adopt Windows 8. They'll have to be pulled into it," Johnson said.