The time between RTM (release to manufacturing) and GA (general availability) is such because OEMs need 2 months to take the gold image of Windows 8, image it o

The time between RTM (release to manufacturing) and GA (general availability) is such because OEMs need 2 months to take the gold image of Windows 8, image it onto the tens of millions of new PCs that will be sold during the Holiday season, and then ship those devices back to all of the retail stores where they will be sold. The October 26th date effectively acts as an embargo to make sure that all of the OEMs get enough time to get their devices into market and can start selling at the same time. It would make the press / sales cycle extremely difficult to manage if the devices were available only from a few faster moving OEMs in a smaller number of markets, versus having everything everywhere at once. Hopefully that adds a little more clarity to it.