Also released to manufacturing today is Windows Server 2012, with general availability on September 4th. Good news, and I can finally upgrade my Server 2008R2 machine to the great Server 2012!

On behalf of the Windows Server engineering team, I can tell you it has been a thrill and honor for us to deliver this product.  Most importantly, we thank the many thousands of you who have provided your input and guidance throughout the process of designing and building it.  So far the hands-on feedback on the product from you, industry analysts and press has been phenomenally positive.  I attribute that to the fact that, from the outset, we committed ourselves to building Windows Server 2012 around the needs and goals of our customers and partners.  It feels great to ship software that so squarely addresses customer objectives, both in the here and now and in the future.

Windows 8 has finally hit RTM (Release to Manufacturing). Hopefully within the next few weeks we’ll see it on Technet and MSDN and we can get some proper reviews from the final version of the new OS. General availability is coming October 26th and will be released on new PC’s and devices.

Today marks an important milestone in the Windows 8 project. The Windows 8 team is proud to share with you that a short while ago we started releasing Windows 8 to PC OEM and manufacturing partners. This means our next milestone will be the availability of exciting new models of PCs loaded with Windows 8 and online availability of Windows 8 on October 26, 2012.

The big news story yesterday with the Surface pricing was incorrect. Yes, the store put the prices on there, but they were set artificially high. No MSRP pricing has yet been announced by Microsoft, and the company claims that they would lower the cost when the final price was revealed and give those that preorder a refund of the difference.

Our customers are very interested in pre-ordering these products, so we have set a high preliminary pricing for the lineup so that they may be able to pre-order them.

Just to clarify, we have not recieved any pricing from Microsoft regarding MRSP or purchasing net cost, and any people who have booked the Surface at this high price will of course have their order adjusted before any product is shipped. So we’re not going to overcharge anyone for being an early adopter.

If these rumors and screenshot are accurate, Microsoft Surface will be a failure in the market place. $1000 for the entry level Windows RT version?! I am guessing (hoping) that these numbers are not accurate and are just pre-order prices that are inflated to gain some pre-sales in anticipation of a large demand. Similar to the way some game consoles can command 300% of their MSRP on launch due to availability and demand.

If, however, they are accurate – I’ll pass. I’m happy with an iPad. It does most of what I want, and carrying a Windows 8 powered laptop along side for REAL work isn’t that difficult. I’d like an all in one to do work and play, but not at prices above the usually criticized Apple prices. People complain that Apple is too high priced and the ‘Apple Tax’ is high, what are they going to say about this?

Again, I don’t think the prices are real MSRP, but overly inflated presale prices.

The ARM version will not have the flexibility of Pro when it comes to application compatibility so pricing is key. This version is designed to take the iPad head on, if it cannot compete on price from the get go then we have to ask, "What is the point?" WinRT will of course be on every PC sold from the end of this year but we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact  that Microsoft is betting big on WinRT to finally get them into the tablet game. 

Many hate the new Start screen and Metro UI, while there are a few that actually like it. I’m in the middle. I don’t care for it much, but it isn’t anything that I can’t get used to. I am used to it after testing Windows 8 for a while. But, I still miss my Start menu. Start screen as a replacement isn’t as good for my use. That doesn’t mean that it is a failure or anything else – just in the way I use the Start menu, it isn’t as good. I can use the Start screen very well, as can my kids (11 and 13).

The quote in the article that got me is this – if using the Start menu is a three second affair, why replace it with something that makes it a 5 or 6 second affair (or more)? Sure, I can type what I’m looking for, but I have several programs that I know very little. Some are called one thing but listed as the company name first in the shortcut. Too many things to customize to make it work perfect, whereas the Start button required little to no customization and worked great out of the box.

I’ll use the Start screen, and I don’t mind it. It’s just a huge change, and many things don’t feel like they are finished. Desktop applications and the Metro UI along with the Metro UI Start screen are NOT seamless. Switching from 2 desktop applications side by side to a Metro application (which isn’t a dragable window) is a pain. Sometimes, I have multiple windows open, along with the task bar (for time and other info), and maybe a command prompt window. Maybe as a system admin, it isn’t the best solution. Perhaps there are work arounds. I just haven’t found an elegant solution with Windows 8 yet. Windows 7 has it down great… Maybe I’ll just use pure desktop applications and stay away from Metro applications (which there are some great ones, too).

The difference being Metro’s fullscreen, tiled presentation, which is admittedly a little jarring until you get used to it. Aesthetics aside (I think it’s ugly too), detractors insist Metro hinders multitasking because it blocks vision of the desktop — a sound argument until it’s confronted with reality. Again, we’re speaking about Metro strictly as a Start menu successor and I don’t know about you, but when I use the Start menu, it’s a three-second affair: I open the menu and I click a program.

When asked what the best smartphone ever is, Apple’s own Siri comes up with the answer: Windows Phone. Of course, when Apple got wind of what she was saying, they shut her up like a Mob Boss. Reminds me of Santa telling people where to go for better prices and products. But, without the concrete shoes, of course!

Pre pre-announcement announcement here: Monday will be the day Steve Ballmer and Co. announce Office 15 to the masses. Something to look forward to on Monday.

Based on leaks from the Technical Preview, it appears Metro, the main design language for Windows 8 and Windows Phone, will figure prominently in the look and feel of Office 15.

Steve Wozniak, The Woz, has said some very positive things about Microsoft even going as far as saying it’s as if “Steve Jobs came back reincarnated at Microsoft”. Some great things have been coming from Microsoft lately, I agree.

Perhaps one day my wish of hanging out with Woz will be fulfilled. He’s a great guy with an open mind and very brilliant. Just a cool, down to earth guy.

I have much more love for the iPhone now. If you have a jailbroken iPhone, you can buy a Windows 8 UI theme via the Cydia store which looks very functional. Looks pretty nice. I really love the UI on the phones. Of course, you’d still have to worry about it freezing, locking up, etc.. My wife has an iPhone and she complains about it freezing quite a bit (not jail broke – she won’t let me). My Windows Phone, on the other hand, has never had a hiccup. My old Android phone, although slow, was very stable as well.

The theme includes a Windows Phone-like lock screen complete with notifications, volume controls, and a swipe up to unlock feature. Once Metroon is activated it works in a similar way to Microsoft’s Windows 8 Start Screen, providing a launcher for apps with live tiles providing information on apps at a glance. All iOS apps can be pinned to the Metroon Start Screen and there’s even a Charms bar that appears when you swipe from the right-hand side of an iPhone or iPod Touch. A desktop tile brings you to the familiar iOS home screen and the Charms bar is once again accessible to bring you back into the Metro interface, almost identical to Windows 8’s desktop mode.

Rather than fix the problems with the gadgets in Windows Vista or 7, Microsoft is urging people to disable gadgets completely. After a vulnerability was announced (detailed emerge at the Black Hat 2012 conference), Microsoft offered the temporary fix of disabling the gadgets. A more permanent solution may come in the future, but that is unknown.

With the release of Windows 8, gadgets will not be supported and will be replaced with live tiles, which have a lot more potential and functionality, in my opinion.

Now, Microsoft has issued a Fix It solution to disable Gadgets and the Sidebar. These features, if left enabled, may allow the execution of arbitrary code, and could allow attackers to take complete control of a person’s system, Microsoft warns in a Knowledge Base article.