Microsoft to launch Surface, Windows 8 on October 25, Windows Phone 8 on October 29

Microsoft has begun sending out invites for the launch of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 in the US. The first event will take place on October 25 for the launch of Windows 8 as well as the launch of its Surface tablet at midnight.
The event will take place in New York. Less than a week later, on October 29, Microsoft will be back but this time for Windows Phone 8. This event will take place in San Francisco.
Most major hardware vendors have already shown their gear that includes notebooks, hybrids and tablets running Windows 8 and powered by both ARM and Intel chipsets. However, most of them have kept the exact specifications and pricing a secret, which would be revealed on October 25.
Same is the case for Windows Phone 8 where Microsoft’s major partners – Nokia, Samsung and HTC – have revealed devices that would be launched in November. However, Microsoft has not yet shown key features of the operating system, which would be demonstrated on October 29.
One worrying factor for Windows Phone 8 is the non-availability of the SDK for developers to create apps for the platform. At the moment, Microsoft has only shared it with key developers and we can expect them to be onstage demonstrating their apps and the power of Windows Phone 8, which might or might not be similar to how Apple conducts WWDC. In all probability, Microsoft will make the SDK available to all developers on the same day. It remains to be seen how many apps will be available on the app store when first Windows Phone 8 devices hit shelves a couple of weeks later.