One of the most momentous moments in the history of Microsoft is due to hit on October 26, 2012, when the next version of the Windows operating system is going to be made available to the general public to purchase; and then in some cases start to pull out their hair.

Amazon has the pre-order page up for buying your copy of Microsoft’s riskiest bet ever but there are a couple of caveats you should be aware of.

First off Amazon will be offering only the physical media of Windows 8 (hopefully they will also be adding just a digital download version) for purchase.

Second the offer is only available for residents of the United States.

If both those caveats are something that you can deal with you can pre-order Windows 8 for $69.99 and have it shipped as soon as it hits Amazon shelves.