With the release of Windows 8 set for October 26th, Microsoft has provided new information about the upgrade schedule for apps moving to the latest Windows OS, including Windows RT.

In a blog post from the Windows engineering team, Steven Sinofsky discusses a range of improvements to performance and reliability on various apps that come with Windows 8. Highlights include integration of app upgrades to the Windows Store tile, added functionality to Bing and Skydrive, and live tile updates that display new information without users having to enter the full app. 

After starting to accept app submissions in mid-September, WinAppUpdate reports more than 3,000 Windows Store, Metro-Style apps are currently available on the new OS. The report includes a breakdown of developer activity over the past month, showing a definite uptick in activity, but whether Microsoft will live up to its ambitious forecast remains to be seen. 

According to ZDNet, a claim from within Microsoft that the Store will hit 100,000 apps within 90 days of release is made difficult to assess by the company's lack of clarity differentiating between Windows 8 and Windows RT apps. 

For an overview of Windows 8 and some comparisons between the preview released and the final product, PCMag has a hands-on guide to the new Windows OS.