Why Announce Windows 7’s October Release in June?
Windows 7 will go on sale October 22, according to a post by Brendon LeBlanc at the Windows Team blog. That puts Windows 7’s release to manufacturing sometime in July (or even early August). More importantly, the announcement signifies Microsoft’s confidence that the release candidate is near prime-time ready.
The announcement’s timing isn’t coincidental. A large number of Microsoft enterprise customers will be renewing volume-licensing contracts—or not—between now and July 31. Today’s announcement gives some of the businesses reason to sign up for Windows licensing contracts and Software Assurance. Microsoft requires Software Assurance for Windows 7 Enterprise, and that’s the version many larger businesses should want.
Microsoft has just assured these businesses of two things:
- If they sign up for Software Assurance now, they can get Windows 7 on the frontside of their annuity contractual agreement
- Windows 8 will release within the three-year annuity contract cycle. If Microsoft keeps to schedule, Eight will be a big upgrade.
But there is another important reason for making this announcement now. On Monday, Apple’s developer conference convenes in San Francisco. Two major planned topics: iPhone Os 3.0 and Mac OS X 10.6 (aka “Snow Leopard”). It’s quite possible that during the event Apple will announce Snow Leopard’s release date for sometime later this year. Surely Microsoft executives understand the importance of getting in front of Apple news and effectively drawing a competitive line in the sand. I see the announcement, which is decidely early, as Microsoft executives expressing their competitive confidence in Windows 7 against Snow Leopard.
Confident they should be. Windows 7 is a lot more than warmed over Vista, as some critics claim. The operating system is chock full of usability enhancements. Performance is excellent by most any measure. I would recommend Windows 7 to anyone and everybody. Have you got a Mac purchase on the brain?Free your mind and try Windows 7 Release Candidate.
Windows 7 Desktop
Granted, Control Panel is still way too complicated, and most people will baffle at Services and other hardcore underpinnings. But the UI is a wonder of productivity improvement. I get more work done now on Windows 7 than I ever did with a MacBook running Mac OS X Leopard. Caveat: In my testing, Internet Explorer 8 is troubled. It often hangs trying to load pages. I currently use Google Chrome full time. It’s a fast, elegant, delightful Web browser. Yesterday, I griped about Google UI design being kind of crappy, but Android and Chrome are plenty inviting.
I’ve been testing Windows 7 RC on a Sony VAIO VGN-Z590, with 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 13.1-inch LED backlit display with 1,600-by-900 resolution, 256MB nVidia GeForce 9300M GS graphics, 3GB of DDR3 memory, 320GB hard drive (5,400 rpm), dual-layer DVD burner, fingerprint reader, Wi-Fi and Sprint 3G modem. This is my production system. All hardware flawlessly functions, including the Sprint modem and WebCam.
Back to the news of the day, Brendon writes:
Windows 7 will be in stores beginning October 22nd…We anticipate that we’ll be able to make the RTM code for Windows 7 available to our partners sometime in the 2nd half of July. We also expect to be able to make RTM code for Windows Server 2008 R2 available to our partners in this time frame as well.
Microsoft has given wiggle room for last-minute problems. Windows XP released to manufacturing on Aug. 24, 2001 and shipped on October 25. PC OEMs needed even more time to qualify systems and software images eight years ago. Microsoft’s timetable offers so too much time. OEMs simply don’t need 10-to-12 weeks from RTM to ship Windows 7 PCs. One of two scenarios is likely to occur:
- Windows 7 RTMs in August, because of last-minute bug fixes
- OEMs start shipping Windows 7 PCs as early as September—August if RTM comes within six weeks
These scenarios aren’t mutually exclusive and the latter one would require Microsoft’s permission. Windows XP PCs also shipped ahead of the official launch, a circumstance Microsoft should want to encourage for Seven. It’s simply smart marketing.
I’ll make this prediction about RTM: Around July 23, which is when I expect Microsoft’s annual Financial Analysts Meeting. Since I can find no official announcement and because of the crappy economy’s impact on travel budgets, maybe 2009 will be the year without FAM. Maybe, but it won’t be the year without Windows 7. Say, Microsoft, how about you release some SKU pricing?
Do you have a Windows 7 story that you’d like told? Please email Joe Wilcox: oddlytogether at gmail dot com.
Sounds like more FUD. Often an early announcement like this is a good indicator that Win7 will miss the XMas shopping season due to delays (like Vista did). Seems more and more like a repeat performance of Vista.
I think they are getting worried about new MacOS releases and now Android taking over the Netbook market, especially on new low cost non-Intel processors.
Joe, you should not recommend W7 to anyone who does not know how to reinstall Windows and revert back to their original settings.
In addition to the fact the W7 still has LOTS of problems, you are signing people up to pay for a full retail copy in March next year. I have only installed 7 on one machine and the owner was generally happy with it (they seem to accept errors and problems as part of running Windows) but their faces dropped when I said they will have to pay about £250 (approx, maybe) next year if they still want to use it.
You recommend that people considering Mac OS X try Windows 7?
What advantages will they find?
I’m pretty curious as well about what exactly your average end-user will find in W7 that’s not in Leopard, let alone Snow Leopard. I’ve been using all 3 and while SL is by far the buggiest of the 3 at the moment; Leopard is simply a joy to use.
Examples – after only about 1 year of using Leopard the use of the spacebar to get an instant full preview of practically any document is ingrained in my muscle memory and invaluable to me.
With Sleep configured to not save RAM contents to disk sleep and wake is literally instant; which is nice. The first time – every as a computer user – that i don’t close the lid and spend a minute staring at the status lights waiting for the moon to light up.
The OSX Keychain stores every single pasword i have securely but retrievably. Plus keeping of secure notes. This in turn syncs with mobileme so when i set up a login to my girlfriends mac and entered my mobileme creds – wooosh all my stored passwords are there (as well as my dashboard widgets, calendar info, contacts, etc.
Don’t get me wrong, W7 works well for me so far; but i refer you to my original question – what exactly will your average joe find in W7 that’s not in OSX?
Actually i agree with your hardware statement for the average Joe the Plumber person. Personally i appreciate the aesthetics and am willing to pay a premium solely for things like a multi-touch trackpad, light-up keyboard, magsafe connector and solid aluminum construction – but have no illusions about this being valuable to your average consumer.
I however note you haven\’t answered my question about Windows 7 at all – what\’s going on there…?
So let\’s make it even more interesting. Here\’s a few more features and real-world things that OSX does in my day to day use. (which i\’ve previously wished i could do, surprise and delight me, and whatever the other 4 things were…
)
.) I can PDF everything i want. I can modify existing PDFs that I\’m sent and even annotate them (Snow Leopard) and quickly send them back. No Acrobat or any extra software required. – Now this may sound like an old hat to an OSX veteran but it certainly ain\’t for your average Windows user.
.) (Snow Leopard) I can record my screen activity into a movie file, including my voice to explain what\’s happening, quickly trim the beginning and end bits and fire it off as a help file, online tutorial, etc. This saves me a license of software like Camtasia or others.
.) With multiple VMs of things like W2k3 server, Leopard Server, Vista, xp, etc running and a variety of other apps pegging all my CPU cores to 100% and using almost all my RAM, I\’m regularly surprised at the responsiveness of the UI. A number of times a VM has run amok and I haven\’t noticed while browsing the web, emailing, RDP\’ing, etc until the fans started whirring at 6000rpm or i try to open a new app. I have never come across a Windows version or installation where a 100% CPU and something like 2MB of free ram doesn\’t equate to the machine being practically locked up.
.) I use spotlight constantly and in particularly find the spotlight searching inside Mail to be a revelation. A year or so ago i connected to my company\’s exchange server using Mail\’s IMAP functionality and ticked all public folders in the settings (not realising that this actually downloads all content from these public folders to my local machine). Well after a few days my local Mail folder was sitting at approx 16GB (personal mailbox and public folders) and i could search everything literally instantly. I even asked a colleague to give me a few keywords to find stuff in these public folders and all of them came back instantly and accurately. Even much much faster than server based searching using OWA 2007.
.) I have gotten so used to the system-wide spellchecking and find it invaluable. I create documents in HTML using things like TextMate, word processing of course, emails, and comments like this one in web browsers and all of them are nicely spellchecked for me. – Again old hat maybe, but not to a Windows user.
So Joe, I\’ve shown you mine, now show me yours.
So that’s a no then… Zip? Nada? Nix?
Oh well, can’t say i’m terribly surprised.
[...] weeks ago I asked: “Why announce Windows 7’s October release in June?” Windows XP’s extended obsolescence is a reason I overlooked. The time period [...]
[...] strikingly different from Channel 9. Microsoft won’t carry that over easily. Something else: Windows 7 launches on October 22nd. Vista’s successor will appeal to a broad swath of customers. Microsoft should want to engage [...]
Windows 7 will miss back to school but not Christmas. It’s really ready, or near enough.
I’m totally baffled at the idea that Android is “taking over” the netbook market, particularly as you’re basing it on one announcement of (as-yet unshipped) product. Both Ubuntu Netbook Remix and Moblin are much stronger competition for Windows 7 in the netbook market, and, it should be noted, Mac OS X is nowhere there (yet).
As Joe says, Win7 is pretty-much there so I’m not surprised at the close release date. It’s very, very much more than warmed-over Vista – while I avoided Windows Vista completely, I’d be happy to move to 7 having given it a thorough test.
My one worry about it is actually application support, particularly crucial “close to the system” pieces like anti-virus. In my tests, I have found only one AV package which didn’t crash or cause issues, and that was Norton (ironically, the package I’d usually least recommend!).
Joe,
Just some thoughts based upon your article…
Long before any other platform displaces Windows on small notebook computers, Windows 7 will ship and on increasingly powerful and carrier subsidized form factors.
‘netbooks’ being nothing more than smaller notebook computers are becoming larger and many notebooks are becoming smaller, thinner and lighter weight. The changes in form factors alone are not as significant as the carrier subsidies as driven by included wireless capabilities and multi-year and potentially costly data contracts with serious limitations. (anything over 5GB/month can prove to be very costly).
Similarly, the notion that both tethering and internal EVDO/3/4G capabilities cannot be added to existing notebooks designs, regardless of size, is ridiculous. We manufacture several models shipping with native wireless broadband internal cards that may be changed, mixed and matched to suit customer needs. As notebooks become as attractive as ‘small notebooks’ this becomes more important as it facilitates more choices for consumers and small businesses. In simple terms, the netbook and notebook markets are driving toward one another, not the other way around
and both strongly favor Windows 7.
The ‘netbook’ market, previously identified by small, lower powered notebook designs with limitations, is becoming increasingly associated with small, lower powered designs originating from the carriers and their OEM partners. None have plans for devices that are not Windows 7 centric. Not in this category. Though clearly, Microsoft is not being included in on the carrier subsidy take, so to speak – as Windows 7 Starter Edition continues to be offered and deprecated. It appears that the redefinition of the ‘netbook’ as a small notebook remains incomplete.
‘netpads’ on the other hand will come in three flavors: those based upon the iPhone. Those based upon Android and more powerful slates running Windows 7. Each of these will be carrier subsidized – though slates running Windows 7 may occupy both categories.
It’s a myth that any decent sized netpad can be used for long as shown in ads, or suggested by many. The lightest of them produce considerable strain on the non-writing hand. Most especially the thumb. Battery weight and life are additional considerations and until pads of sufficient size are also of sufficiently low weight, they will not be especially popular. A big iPhone, or Android phone that is big enough to compete with a small notebook, is too big to hold as I have described, or as with UMPC’s, too small to compete in the first place and therefore not substantively better than the mobile phone it is replacing. more likely to succeed would be a companion display into which the iPhone and or Android would be placed as a secondary display, adjacent to its co-processing pad.
The really big change here is the entry of the wireless carriers and their influence on the PC market. Big phone – little computer, it does not matter. They’re demanding a cheaper Windows and are unwilling to share the subsidy to get it. Microsoft is wise to let them hang themselves with this one and take their lumps opposite the deprecated Windows 7 starter edition.
You may not like my answer, whatever. The average Joe will find a good computer that he can afford. Apple hardware lags behind PC OEMs, while costing more. They only need a good operating system to close the gap. No Mac that I could afford offers the same small size but high screen resolution of my Sony VAIO Z590.
I’m a big Leopard fan, too. But I’d like a bit more function than form in Macs. I’ve been searching for a Mac laptop for my brother-in-law. My choices start at $999. At the Sony Outlet store south of San Diego, on Sunday, I saw a 17-inch VAIO laptop with 256MB dedicated graphics, 3GB RAM and big hard drive for $699 refurbished, $799 new.
Avast anitvirus works perfectly on Vista / Win7 both x86 and x64 architecture. Price is great (Free for all home pc’s no matter how may you run and product updates daily) Haven’t had a virus in the last two years while running this product and I can’t recommend it highly enough. As for Norton I use to run it unit the 2005 suite fiasco and now switch people to avast as fast a possible.
As to Win7, I am currently running both Vista x86/x64 and Win7 x64. I do see a definite improvement over Vista but (BIG BUT) I paid for the Vista product and personally fell betrayed by Microsoft that because Vista got bad press the took the progress that should have been applied to Vista in Service packs and rebranded it as Win7. As a result the price point is going to have to be the same as Vista or even a little bit lower to entice Once burned Vista users to upgrade to Win7. Don’t forget the Win7 is mostly Vista code under the covers that we already paid for. My suggestion would be to keep the new UI and visual enhancements in the Win7 product,but (and the is a very big but) Microsoft should show some loyalty to people who bought into the Vista bait and swich and roll out the underlying performance code and stablility to the Vista community as a further service pack (SP3 anyone). They can call it customer loyalty or keeping a broken promise or whatever they want but “We are watching for some reciprocity from Microsoft in return for our time and input into the final Win7 product”.
Microsoft has some very bad karma to overcome and I for one would hope that the powers that be are able to look long term and the potential negatives should they turn their backs on the Vista community..