It has been an eventful couple of weeks for Microsoft. The Redmond-based firm announced its upcoming operating system had reached RTM, and the code was subsequently leaked to torrent sites in record time. Speculation also started to circulate about Microsoft's decision to abandon the Metro branding for the tiled interface central to Windows 8, with reports pointing to a potential trademark dispute.

Now, in a less dramatic development, The Verge has revealed what appears to be the final packaging designs for the boxed versions of Windows 8 that will be available in retail stores when the OS launches later this year.

As previously announced, there will be just two full retail versions: Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro. The overall look of the boxes is simple, featuring the "Windows 8 style UI" logo prominently on the front, wrapped in slim style cases, and using a different color (white or black) to differentiate them.

Microsoft's latest operating system reached its release to manufacturing (RTM) milestone last week, marking the last stage of development before worldwide release. Just a day later the final release of the European "N" version, which comes without Windows Media Player, was found on several torrent sites.

Windows 8 is slated to arrive in stores and on new computers and tablets, including the Surface Tablet PC on October 26, with their next-generation Windows Phone OS arriving on smartphones around the same time.