Windows 8 Consumer Preview to debut at mobile event Feb. 29 Microsoft's Windows 8 Developer Preview running on a Samsung-built prototype tablet. Armand Emamdjomeh / Los Angeles Times / February 8, 2012 February 8, 2012, 2:34 p.m. Microsoft Corp. will launch its Windows 8 Consumer Preview at the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona this month. And while it may seem a bit strange to release a PC operating system at an event focused on phones and tablets, Windows 8 isn't just about desktops and laptops. No, as we've reported, the still-in-development Windows 8 OS is being built for both PCs and tablets. And Windows Phone 8, the eventual follow-up to the current Windows Phone 7 operating system, is expected to be built using the same software kernal (the part of an operating system that manages how software communicates with hardware) as Windows 8. So maybe (hopefully) we'll see some Windows Phone 8 news alongside Windows 8 details in Barcelona too. Microsoft declined to comment Wednesday on just what it will show off in Barcelona, but we do know for sure that the Consumer Preview release will debut because the tech giant said as much in an invitation to a Feb. 29 event at Mobile World Congress. The Windows 8 Consumer Preview release is a follow-up to the Windows 8 Developer Preview, which has been available as a free download since September after Microsoft unveiled that version at its Build conference in Anaheim. The Consumer Preview version of Windows 8 will offer a closer look at what the operating system will look and behave like when it becomes available to consumers later this year. Windows 8 Developer Preview available as free download Windows 8: A first look at Microsoft's new OS on a tablet [Video] Microsoft offers sneak peek at Windows 8's Store for apps [Video]