In an evidence that app developers are seemingly interested in developing content for the forthcoming Windows 8 version of Microsoft’s operating system, the software maker said in a recent statement that nearly 500,000 copies of the preview version of the OS have been downloaded by the developers.

Speaking at a conference for developers in Anaheim, California, Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer said that even though the company has “a long way to go still with Windows 8,” it nonetheless has been gratified by the reactions as well as the interest of the developers.

Microsoft is looking to complete Windows 8 at the earliest largely because the company wants to bring on an operating system which boasts the capability of running thinner and lighter tablet computers with battery power that can compete with that of the Apple iPad.

Though Microsoft refrained from giving any official timeline for the launch of Windows 8 devices, it did give the conference attendees a prototype machine which ran an Intel chip instead of an ARM model – an indication that the ARM version is apparently even farther along.

Despite the fact that Microsoft is focusing on tablets computers, handsets, as well as cloud computing, Ballmer said that Windows 8 essentially represents a “re-imagining” of the company as a whole.

Reiterating that Microsoft intends keeping Windows at the heart of its strategy, Ballmer said: “Windows is at the center. People question whether that is a good idea... I think it’s an exceptionally good idea.”