Microsoft announced on Monday during its annual Worldwide Partner Conference that its next-generation Windows 8 operating system will launch this October. The company confirmed that the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) version of its operating system is on track to be released to partners in August, and the final consumer version will be released in late October along with the first run of next-generation devices powered by the new operating system. Microsoft also said that users who purchase Windows 7 PCs today will be able to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro following its release for just $14.99. Read the full story at Boy Genius Report.