With barely two months left for the scheduled October 26 retail launch of Microsoft's newest Windows 8 operating system, the software company has, quite surprisingly, still not priced the forthcoming OS.

Given the fact that Microsoft has thus far released no information about what the retail price-tag for the upcoming Windows 8 OS will be, analysts are of the opinion that the lack of information on the price front is apparently a consequence of Microsoft's endeavors to accommodate desktops as well as tablets with the new OS.

The delay in announcing the Windows 8 pricing is surprising because Microsoft's past practice of setting prices for its products shows that the retail prices of Windows Vista and Windows 7 versions were disclosed weeks ahead of their respective "release to manufacturing" (RTM) milestone, and at least four months before the commencement of their retail sales.

Noting that Microsoft's delay in pricing Windows 8 OS is seemingly linked to the uncertainty surrounding the PC market, along with the competition from Apple, Patrick Moorhead - chief analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy - said that Microsoft should price Windows 8 in such a way that it "looks smart versus Apple's OS X."

In addition, Moorhead also said that Windows 8 should be so priced by Microsoft that it "doesn't leave money on the table with commercial PC customers, and enables OEMs to compete better with the iPad."