Time for Microsoft to fess up on Windows 7 date
With the release candidate for Windows 7 now publicly available, it's entirely reasonable for businesses and consumers to want to know when the final release will be available.
Reasonable maybe, but Microsoft still won't even confirm whether the release of Windows 7 is targeted for this year or early next year.
Click here for a gallery of Windows 7 release candidate screenshots.
(Credit: ZDNet Australia)"We have work to do before we can definitively say it's a holiday product," corporate VP Mike Nash said in an interview last week.
The official word on timing--which came in an interview with CNET News nearly a year ago--is that Microsoft plans to release Windows 7 within three years of the January 2007 mainstream launch of Windows Vista. And the company has refused to budge from that formal stance.
Of course, every indication is that Microsoft plans for Windows 7 to be widely available on PCs this holiday season. As far back as last year, Microsoft tipped its hand that it was headed that way.
Bill Gates said at a speech in Miami in April 2008 that Windows 7 was coming "in the next year or so." When it released the first public code last fall, Microsoft was careful not to reveal much about timing, although one session at a November hardware conference confirmed for me that Microsoft was aiming for a 2009 launch.
Sources have consistently said that a 2009 launch has been Microsoft's goal and even some Microsoft folks have suggested as much. In an interview with Bloomberg News last month, Microsoft senior vice president Bill Veghte said that a holiday launch was "accomplishable."
Last week, Acer even offered up a date--Oct. 23--when it would have a Windows 7 PC on the market.
Microsoft is asking people to treat the release candidate like a final release and make sure that they are nearly done with their own testing. Shouldn't that mean that the ecosystem also gets to know how much time they have before the product is finalized?
Of course, Microsoft has been telling its largest partners what to expect for some time. Big computer makers have said that, in contrast with the process around Windows Vista, they feel both listened to and in the loop. But what about the rest of us?
Plenty of consumers and small businesses are trying to make buying decisions and even a few months difference in timing can be a big deal.
In its blog posting announcing the release candidate's availability, Microsoft said when the test code would expire, but again refused to say when it will actually become obsolete.
Clearly Microsoft was burned by its experience with Vista, but at this point not admitting a 2009 goal is silly. We all know that is the target. If for some reason they do encounter a delay, it will still be a delay, even if Microsoft never actually told us what its plans were.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
Let them take their time. It will only result in a better product. They have to be loving all the positive News to. Some damage may have been done and while there is never a rock bottom, they're far down on the ledge when it comes to PR. I love Windows 7, i have no problems with OS X. Maybe with the Mac computers which i don't find attractive in anyway. White / silver isn't my color and i love to tinker with my towers :D (Yes i know a macbook came in black, i still didn't like it)
Its good to see Apple back in the game, Microsoft got complacent with their hold on the market. Funny how a kick to the "RAM" can get a company back in the game.
Microsoft just lets Apple stick around to keep the government regulators off their back. They could wipe Apple off the map, but then they would have to face the accusations of being a monopoly. Microsoft had to invest in Apple several years ago just to keep Apple from the ranks of dead personal computers like the TI 99/4A, Commodore VIC20, Amiga, etc.
>>> The sooner the better. Can't wait to see it finish off Crap OS X Snow leopard aka endangered OS
No dude -- competition is good. To each their own. Let linux, OS-X, windows (and anyone else who wants entry into this space) survive and thrive. It's competition from Firefox, linux, OSX, etc. that will have driven MS to deliver Win7 in this form.
Apple, for their part have hit a purple patch that very few tech companies can even dream of. They don't need (or even necessarily want) the same adoption numbers as windows for them to be spectacularly successful.
P.S. I've used OS X, and it is terrible.
Everyone that is sick of Windows/Microsoft and doesn't want to buy a Macintosh, download Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Xubuntu and put it on your machine instead of "upgrading" to Windows 7. Give it a month and you'll never look back.
Windows: Hi Linux
Linux: What are you up to Windows?
Windows: Playing a game.
Linux: Oh, which one?
Windows: All of them.
Linux: :(
[CNET editors' note: Personal attack deleted.]
So as you can see, Windows isn't always a choice, it's a necessity. (Aren't monopolies grand?)
I use Ubuntu, Mandriva 2008, and Freespire OS X at work, and Windows 7 RC / Beta, Windows XP and Windows Vista.
I like them all But Windows 7 is my choice. Remember that word.. Choice. People use what the like to use. Anyone who chooses to use something they hate, gets no empathy from me.
Thanks come again.
Yes, I've been using the Windows 7 beta since it's release. I see no major improvements. You sir, are the troll. You have no technical expertise whatsoever if you couldn't get Linux to run properly and if you think Mac OS X is only for children.
No matter how good Windows 7 gets, it's still Windows and brings with it all the bad UI, malware, and security holes that have plagued Microsoft since the 1980s.
NO, Microsoft is NOT a necessity. It's a choice. Every time you upgrade software, you could have chosen to move in a new direction, not perpetuate the monopoly. That is the biggest copout by IT personnel that have know if they move off of the Microsoft path, they'll put themselves out of work. Linux and open source software is FREE. So, moving to free software also makes the higher ups in a company that okay'd buying thousands and thousands of dollars of Microsoft software look stupid. So, they stick with it to save face.
Like I said before, why do people choose headaches and monopolies? It's either ignorance or stupidity.
No, most people are too ignorant, too stupid, or too scared to try anything else. That and the fact that Microsoft has been engaging in unfair business practices for the past 30 years is why most people run Windows. It's not a "choice" when the idiot on the keyboard doesn't even know there's an alternative.
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/05/04/macbooks_sweep_latest_consumer_reports_scores.html
Have a nice day!
even Apple, the company that you support near religiously does that
FYI: The link you posted is an opinion piece- a blog, and not an article. They don't even give a link to the source of the information from Consumer Reports. I went to CR, checked their ratings and they do indeed list the MacBook as the first choice in laptops for customer satisfaction when it comes to OEM support and hardware. They don't actually mention Microsoft at all other than to say that Windows is on the rest of their top ten list.
You do actually have to log into their site, create an account, etc. You can't get this information unless you read the source material. If you don't, then people might make the mistake that Consumer Reports was picking Apple over Microsoft- something they did not do at all. They were comparing laptops- hardware-... something that Microsoft does not make.
In the future when you are trying to reference a report like this, please do us a favor and *read* the report. You could have avoided making this mistake not only here, but in pretty much every other comment you've made today as a result.
With Netbooks on the Horizon people are going to be looking for an affordable semi-light-weight OS to run on these machines.... guess who wins - Windows 7... Windows 7 Netbooks, tablets/netbook tablets, etc, etc etc...
They already know the pains of rushing an OS just to get it on the shelves to make some cash.
There's too much crap prematurely rushed to shelves these days. Especially by the big firms. (I'm looking at you EA.)
I do love windows 7
Windows is not the most advanced operating system by a long shot, and that's a fact.
lol ! lol ! lol! thx for the laugh
I almost fell of my chair when I read this
yes 77dust, I agree
Linux Ubuntu is the most advanced OS [even though some might argue openSUSE]
In the past I was interested in a Mac but I just think you get a lot more for the money, in terms of flexibility and components, with a PC. Why do I want to pay $1800 for a 24" computer that can't play as many games, doesn't have Blu-Ray, doesn't have the software flexibility, and doesn't have the downright horsepower that we can get in a PC. And I sure don't want to pay $3K for a Mac Pro either.
whatever, Win7 is gonna be amazing!
Because they want to? MS is not forcing you to buy a PC
MS is not redirecting your browser whenever you try to download a Linux distro.
Because it just works. :)
"Spreading the manure as usual I see."
isn't a serious question
if you really think it is
i feel sad for you
If making personal attacks is all you can do, please keep your fingers off of your keyboard.
I think people tend to call you a troll or fanboy because based upon 98% of your comments, you go on about how much you hate Microsoft, how much they fail at everything, why everything Apple or Linux is superior to sliced cheese, etc.
It's your own comments that make your reputation what it is. If you want to be perceived as anything other than a fanboy or troll, then you'll need to rethink the way in which you communicate your thoughts and persent them in a more open minded manner.
Oh, and it won't have 116 infected files like my neighbour's Windows XP machine had either. ;-)
Wait until someone wants to install the newest nvidia drivers better make friends with the terminal.
That's the dumbest argument I've ever heard. In most distributions of LInux, the "newest driver" is written by the community and is usually available through a GUI tool, as in the *buntu/Debian distributions. Stick to what you know, cheer-leading for Microsoft and stirring up trouble.
@monkeyfun14: Most consumer targeted distributions do not need to use the terminal to update the drivers from nvidia.
some people find non graphical ui's scary
The "newest" nvidia driver couldn't even run a opengl game properly with a 8600GTS.
So I went to the Nvidia site to download the newest one which I was required to compile myself.
Everything is about games with you isn't it?
Windows 7 is basically a cleaned up version of Vista. Microsoft themselves have said so.
Win7 is a huge improvement over Vista and XP. Real actual reviews by computer pros - not people who are steve jobs fanatics - No wonder apple fanboys are so scared!
[CNET editors' note: Personal attack deleted]
I'm not "trolling". I've asked a serious question, "why would anyone choose to use Windows when there are better alternatives out there?" And all I have gotten from you and your kind is personal attacks and lies. I never said that Windows 7 wasn't an improvement over Vista, of course that isn't saying much considering that Vista is such a dog. Why do you all actively shill for Micro$oft?
pot, meet kettle.
"of course that isn't saying much considering that Vista is such a dog."
No one is "scared" of Microsoft or of Windows, get a life.
"Microsoft themselves have said so. "
Source please? You must have a source for this if you made this claim so blatantly. Please give out that source of your information. A quote or press release would work too. Please back up your claims with evidence.
Just wait until they add in all the extra bloat after the last RC.
I recall when Apple announced the new version of iLife and the date was "End of January", why is that acceptable?
Microsoft is taking its time to put out a stable OS and they get slammed for it? If they put it out to quickly without proper testing, they get slammed for it!
I have Apple's and PC's here at home and BOTH companies have issues, why is Apple OS X 10.5.7 still being testing by developers? To make sure it is stable BEFORE all the users get it. Why did Apple just release an update for "Freezing Issues" on the new iMac's? Because their code is not PERFECT either!
People need to remember that HUMANS do write the code and MISTAKES are made!
@ewsachse: If you did any research at all you'd know that MS invested $150 million into Apple and agreed to continue developing Office for Mac in order to help stave off the investigations by the SEC and FTC. It was to help themselves look better and not like a complete ****** of a company that was completely unethical and abusing their monopoly. I know that hurts your argument, but, it's the truth. Also, Apple wasn't "dead" per se, they did still have over $1.2 billion in cash on hand, they weren't going bankrupt.
Finally, for everyone who thinks OS X is a 'non-starter', OS X has roughly 9% of the TOTAL market yet a much higher percentage of the CONSUMER market. See, all the 90% market share for Windows thing is skewed because of the prevalent use in business which buys in bulk. See, there are about 25 million OS X users (22 million install base in 2007) right now, so, that's obviously much more than 3% or being a 'non-starter'
All that being said, I'm pretty interested in the Win7 release. See, unlike most of you **********, I like things that work and look nice and do the job. WinXP was eh and Vista also eh. MS FINALLY got one right with Win7 and you gotta give props where they're due. Running a VM Win7 and OS X 10.6 on a single machine will bring me great joy. You can slum it with your HP bottom of the barrel PC though. Enjoy!
[CNET editors' note: Personal attacks deleted.]
And Apple has just been buying them from others.
What they have acquired, has either been through purchase or collaboration, not theft and deception as Microsoft has.
Apple purchased the information relevant to the GUI. Apple didn't steal it, they bought the right to view it all. All of the code was homegrown by Apple though. Do your homework please.
Microsoft has purchased technology, leased it, even bought up entire companies for this or that product before. They do not 'steal' it. This is the very same thing Apple does as well- it's common in the industry. It happens frequently- why just look at Oracle's purchase of Sun earlier.
"Do your homework please. "
It would appear that you may need to heed yoru own advice, sirrah. :)
- by pentest May 5, 2009 1:10 PM PDT
- Are you that anxious to get fleeced again?
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