On Oct. 26, Microsoft's Windows 8 will be available to people worldwide.

"With Windows 8, we reimagined the different ways people interact with their PC and how to make everything feel like a natural extension of the device, whether using a Windows 8 tablet, laptop or all-in-one," Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live Division at Microsoft, said.

Microsoft expects to sell 400 million Windows 8 devices by July.

Microsoft has been releasing Windows 8 in various stages.

The final pre-release was available in May and can be downloaded in 14 different languages.

Windows 8 Release Preview is now available and Microsoft said the prerelease software "may be substantially modified before it's commercially released and makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the information provided."

Windows 8 features the Windows Store with new apps. According to Microsoft, the Windows Store will offer personalized recommendations, and Windows 8 gives users the ability to take their apps and settings with them across multiple PCs, making it easy to discover and try new apps while offering developers the greatest opportunity of any platform.

Similar to Apple's iCloud, Microsoft users can connect across Windows-based PCs and Windows Phone. According to Microsoft, users can now use multiple PCs and a phone to connect across these devices toSkyDrive, Facebook, Flickr, and other services, and smoothly get to all photos and files.An optional additional sign-on with a Microsoft account provides access to a host of features, including the ability to roam all settings, use cloud storage, communicate with email, calendar and contacts, and connect to a broad range of services.

With Windows 8 comes, Internet Explorer 10 .

According to Microsoft, the browser has been re-imagined to create a new experience designed specifically for Windows 8 devices.

"It provides an edge-to-edge user interface that is all about less browser and more Web," a company spokesperson said. "Fast and fluid, Internet Explorer is hardware-accelerated to enable Web performance."

The redesigned Internet Explorer now comes with "more security, more privacy, more peace of mind [and] is designed to give you greater control over your personal info and help keep you safe from the latest online threats."

For PCs and tablets powered by x86 processors (both 32 and 64 bit), Microsoft will have two editions: Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro.

"For many consumers, Windows 8 will be the right choice," Brandon LeBlanc of Microsoft said. "It will include all the features above plus an updated Windows Explorer, Task Manager, better multi-monitor support and the ability to switch languages on the fly, which was previously only available in Enterprise/Ultimate editions of Windows."

Microsoft said Windows 8 Pro is "designed to help tech enthusiasts and business/technical professionals obtain a broader set of Windows 8 technologies."

"It includes all the features in Windows 8 plus features for encryption, virtualization, PC management and domain connectivity," LeBlanc said. :Windows Media Center will be available as an economical 'media pack' add-on to Windows 8 Pro. If you are an enthusiast or you want to use your PC in a business environment, you will want Windows 8 Pro."