Will Windows 7 be finalized next week?
Although Windows 7 won't go on sale until October, Microsoft is actually slated to be done with the code that ships on those first PCs within a couple of weeks.
Some enthusiast sites are predicting that Microsoft will peg the release-to-manufacturing date of Windows 7 to July 13, the start of the company's Worldwide Partner Conference. A report on GeekSmack.net suggests that Microsoft will finish the OS by the 13th and post the software to its MSDN and TechNet developer sites shortly thereafter.
(Credit:
Microsoft)
Although the timing would certainly be convenient, it's also the case that Microsoft is primarily focused on making sure it has stamped out any last-minute bugs.
Microsoft said when it announced the October ship date for Windows 7 that it would have to finalize the code and get it to computer makers by the second half of July.
To meet that goal, Microsoft is no doubt doing long-term regression testing on any builds it thinks could be the final one.
Another Windows 7 date to keep in mind is July 11. That's when Microsoft plans to end a preorder program through which people can buy an upgrade version of Windows 7 Home Premium for $49 or Windows 7 Professional for $99. The software maker has also said that preorders could end earlier if it hits a predetermined sales level, although it hasn't said how many copies it is willing to sell.
The preorder program has been a hit on Amazon, where the Home Premium upgrade remains the top seller in both the software section as well as the overall "computers and add-ons" category.
