A new leaked email sent to OEM and System Builders has revealed that Microsoft is allowing them to ship their Windows 8.1 inventory as soon as they receive it, which means they can send off their inventories way before the October 18 launch date. The email claims that when OEM’s receive Windows 8.1, they can send it off to system builders and resellers whenever they’re ready.
So what does this mean? Well, it could mean resellers can begin selling Windows 8.1 earlier than expected. It could also mean Windows 8.1 hardware could go on sale earlier than expected. Right now though, we don’t really know what it means or whether or not it’s useful to us normal consumers. Windows 8.1 Inventory could mean just that, an inventory of Windows 8.1 ready to be pre-loaded onto hardware and sold.
Until Microsoft makes an official announcement with their plans, we can only speculate on what all this information means. We recently learned that Windows 8.1 will RTM at build 9600, and rumors are claiming that Windows 8.1 will leak this weekend. Stick around at WinBeta for more news on the Windows 8.1 RTM
Further reading: Microsoft, Windows 8.1
