When purchasing a PC from one of the main manufacturers, the “unboxing” experience is swiftly marred by the barrage of unnecessary programs pre-loaded onto the computer. Known as “bloatware”, it can be anything from free trials of various internet security suites, to vendor-specific programs – none of which the consumer has asked for.

Although Microsoft has born the brunt of much criticism throughout the tech industry over the years, the Redmond-based software maker has had a comparatively good last couple of years. The Xbox 360 is the number one console, Windows Phone is growing steadily, and the Windows 8 Consumer Preview dropped earlier this year to widespread critical acclaim.

With Windows 8 set for launch later this year, the debate is still raging on about the relatively radical design changes implemented by Microsoft in the OS. Now, before I go on, I want to note that I’m not the type that’s resistant to change. Improvement and progress is welcome, and I really don’t mind adjusting to changes of any sort. But, the issue isn’t with people like me; it’s with users that struggled to understand Windows as it was before these radical changes.

In order to reassure buyers that they aren’t purchasing a PC in vain – with Windows 8 on the horizon and all – Microsoft will be conducting a special promotion (as Mary-Jo Foley revealed last week) during which they will provide Windows 8 Pro to buyers of Windows 7-based PCs (on or after June 2) for a low cost. But how low? Today, Paul Thurrott reported that he’s hearing word from his sources that this promotional offer will be priced at $14.99.

One of the most popular aspects of previous versions of the Windows operating system has to be the inclusion of Media Center which provided a rich multimedia experience to users. The news that the new Windows 8 OS won’t come bundled with Media Center may have filtered down to prospective purchasers, but for those who were a little disappointed with that may be a little perturbed to find out that it isn’t the only part of the Windows media experience that is missing in action.

Although there tends to be a gap of several years between each new iteration of Microsoft’s Windows operating system, Apple runs a much more regular release cycle, and despite releasing OS X Lion only last year, its successor Mountain Lion looks geared up for a late summer release.

It’s certainly been a busy last few days for Microsoft. After showcasing the impressive cloud service SkyDrive, as well as announcing the Release Preview of the Windows 8 OS, Microsoft’s Security Essentials package has been updated to version 4.0, and is now ready for download.

The Release Preview of Windows 8 will be released in June, it has been confirmed by Microsoft today. Subsequently, the final version will be signed off and released to PC manufacturers at the same time, which suggests the retail date could arrive as early as September.

Earlier this week, Microsoft officially unveiled the official SKUs of Windows 8, and, much to the surprise of many Microsoft enthusiasts, they actually simplified things. However, while the simplification is definitely a great step as far as branding is concerned, they did do one peculiar thing: The SKU for Windows on ARM was named Windows RT.

Following much rumor and speculation, Microsoft has just announced the final Windows 8 SKUs, as well as reaffirm that Windows 8 is the official, final name of the upcoming OS. Prior to clicking on the link to the announcement post on the Windows Team Blog, I was slightly nervous; Microsoft is notorious among the tech community for their unnecessarily complicated product branding. Expecting the worst, I was actually quite delighted to see that Microsoft… actually simplified the number of editions in Windows 8!

Windows 8′s lock screen is easy on the eye, but – as with many of the features within the Consumer Preview – just doesn’t really work on a desktop or notebook.

If you’ve not yet gotten around to downloading and installing the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, the Windows X guys have compiled an update to its Windows 8 Transformation Pack.

While Windows 8 has received plenty of mixed criticism regarding its user interface and the desktop, there’s a more unanimous agreement that it is a pretty damn good tablet OS. But, is Microsoft’s unique approach to tablets going to be enough to even get a foot in the door of the tablet market? After all, it isn’t even so much a tablet market as an iPad market; Apple created this market, and are doing a great job at maintaining a firm grip on it. But, while nothing will kill the iPad anytime soon, it is possible for a product to gain decent share in an Apple-dominated market. Just look at Android.

One of the more significant additions to Windows 8 (on the latest Consumer Preview build) – which is critical for the platform to succeed in the tablet space – is the Windows Store, essentially an app store where you can purchase applications for Windows, particularly Metro-style ones. Thus, in terms of functionality, it’s pretty much like a combination of the iOS and Mac App Stores. But, in usability and design, it does have its differences.

With the Windows 8 Consumer Preview having released amid rave reviews on last month’s leap year day, the rumor mill is already touting the Release Candidate to make an appearance as early as late May.

Microsoft has begun to unveil plans of how its tiled Windows 8 operating system will be scaled to fit different tablet screens and resolutions across the board, revealing that there will be support for Retina-Like displays.

Although the response from tech enthusiasts regarding the Windows 8 Consumer Preview has been altogether positive, this hasn’t stopped some developers from altering things around – in particular, trying to recover features lost from Windows 7.

Once upon a time when discussing operating systems, Windows would have been at the top of every person’s list and while it is still the world’s most recognizable OS, it has suffered a fall from greatness in recent years. With the whirlwind resurgence of Apple over the last decade, the company’s products and software have become some of the most talked about in the technology world, with Mac OS X benefitting from a rise in popularity, stealing the thunder from Microsoft.

We’re only three months into the year, but I can already tell that it’s going to be exciting. And, contrary to what many PC hardware manufacturers wish to assert, this is not because of some gimmicky new PC form factor that nobody will care about in a few months; rather, it is because two of the major players in the tech space, Microsoft and Apple, are each doing awesome and unique things this year as far as their entire product ecosystems are concerned.

At this present moment, the tablet market is a two-horse race consisting of Android tablets, and Apple’s iPad range. The third iteration is set to begin retailing tomorrow morning at 8am, with many fanatic consumers expected to be queuing through the night tonight ready for doors to open.