Ballmer says Windows 8 will launch in 2012

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TOKYO, May 24 (UPI) -- Microsoft Corp.'s next operating system will be ready for release in 2012, Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer said at a conference in Japan.

Ballmer confirmed the next OS would be called Windows 8, The Register reported Tuesday.

At the company's Developer Forum in Tokyo, Ballmer said, "We're obviously hard at work on the next version of Windows. We have a brand new user interface. We've added touch and ink and speech. And yet, as we look forward to the next generation of Windows systems, which will come out next year, there's a whole lot more coming," Ballmer said.

"As we progress through the year, you ought to expect to hear a lot about Windows 8. Windows 8 slates, tablets, PCs, a variety of different form factors," he said.