Windows 8 OS launch announced

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) - Microsoft launches Windows 8, and it's calling it its best operating system yet.

It's a launch years in the making for Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmerk, whose company had its share of challenges after Windows Vista.

The tech-giant launched its newest operating system, Windows 8, in New York Thursday. And Ballmerk says it’s the biggest change the system has seen in 17 years. Personal computers and tablets with the built-in operating system will go on sale Friday. 

Left Click Owner Kelly Albrecht says the system is different from Windows 7 because it will offer users applications and run on several mobile devices. 

Albrecht told 22News, “There will be the Windows Store, where you can buy and install apps through the Windows Store much in the same that Apple has done with its App Store. It made significant changes to the user interface, more optimized for being on a tablet.”

The operating system has been certified to run in more than 1,000 personal computers.