Windows 8 – expected to be one of the most highly used and anticipated operating systems – will be released for a beta test in late February.

The new operating system and related app store are being carefully watched for their applications for tablet computers and mobile devices, analysts say.

According to news reports, the date of the beta version is about a month later than expected. It was expected to be initially be released to the public in conjunction with next month’s Consumer Electronics Show. It was at that show two years ago when the beta version of Windows 7 was released.

In addition, Windows 8 will be found by consumers on new computers sometime at the end of next year, according to a report from Fox News.

Given the current success of tablet computers, Windows 8 will find a role in the market. Windows 8 is actually being described as a “tablet-centric iteration of the Windows operating system,” Fox News said.

There are some other details already known about Windows 8, many related to tablets.

Fox News said that Steve Sinofsky, president of the Windows division, revealed in September that Windows 8 will provide a different approach on memory use and how it interacts with processors, and will feature a new user interface. The intuitive interface will be called "Metro", will run on top of the operating system and is clearly intended to work not just with all those computers but also with the emerging world of tablets that have taken consumers by storm, Fox News said, adding that it represents a “complete overhaul of the Windows interface.” It will also feature a "lock screen" and “touch input controls” – something that will be useful for tablets, Fox News adds.

In addition, TMCnet reports that Microsoft (News - Alert) will streamline the manual setup-process for Windows 8.

Since September, some 3 million copies of a version of Windows 8 were downloaded, Computerworld said. In addition, the Seattle Times called Windows 8 and the related app store “a major part of its effort to compete in mobile computing.”

The Seattle Times adds that the Windows 8 app store – to be offered when the beta is released – will feature a revenue-sharing model. At the start, Microsoft will take 30 percent of the revenue generated by an app, which happens to be equal to what Apple (News - Alert) receives in its app store. But when an app has earned $25,000 in sales, Microsoft will receive 20 percent of the revenue.

Already, Microsoft wants developers of apps to enter a contest. The company announced that the deadline for submitting a Metro app for the contest is Jan. 8, 2012, according to Computerworld.

Overall, it is the app store that could be a key part of the Windows 8 launch, Rob Sanfilippo, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft, told the Seattle Times. "I think it is a big part of the Windows 8 launch and it will be an important feature within that operating system that could differentiate it and could help it compete against tablet offerings today," Sanfilippo told the newspaper.

Just this week, Microsoft showed off Windows 8 and the Windows App store at a developer conference in San Francisco.