Microsoft has just announced the launch date for its Windows 8 operating system which is going to be on the 26th of October. 

Microsoft  is pinning its hopes on the fact that the Windows 8 operating system will also be able to run on the desktop and Arm based tablets, which it hopes it will give it an  advantage over other platforms such as Apple and Android, due to the fact that they cannot do that. Also the more integrated and broader eco system that it will have to offer that will include an app style app store, will also allow it to further compete more effectively with the likes of Android and Apple.

Microsoft have also gone that extra step in other ways to make sure that they can compete successfully by introducing a family of it’s own branded tablets called the Surface family of tablets.  

However after they were launched by the chief executive Steve Ballmer, Steve Ballmer has since took the opportunity to reassure his company’s hardware partners, describing Surface as “a design point” that would have a place within a “broad Windows ecosystem”.

Whatever the case, investors seem positive about the companies future prospects. 

Colin Gillis, senior technology analyst at BGC Partners told the BBC”Microsoft’s stock is up 17% since the start of the year in part because of anticipation for Windows 8 and Surface,” . 

“We’re also still seeing nearly one million PCs sold worldwide a day so that’s a sizeable marketplace for them.” Source BBC

However in reality whether it can compete successfully against the likes of  the iPad,  Amazon’s Kindle Fire and the likes of the Android Nexus 7 which has had positive reviews will depend on a number of factors such as user experience, App availability etc, only time will tell who will be able to take a large slice of the cake.