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Windows 7 to launch October 22; RTM next month

By | June 2, 2009, 11:29am PDT

A Microsoft spokesperson just confirmed for me the news I first read a few minutes ago in a story by Ina Fried of CNET News.

The official date on which Windows 7 will be available for general purchase is October 22, 2009. The RTM code will be delivered to partners at the end of July.

In addition, Microsoft has confirmed its plans to make an upgrade option available for PC makers to offer customers who purchase a new PC with Windows Vista between the beginning of the “Tech Guarantee” period and the general-availability date.

I’ll update this post with additional details as they become available.

Updated 3-June-2009 5:00AM PDT

Microsoft’s press release with details of the announcement is now available. The official word came in a speech by Steve Guggenheimer, Corporate Vice President of the OEM Division, in a speech at the Computex tradeshow in Taipei:

Today during a keynote address at Computex 2009 in Taipei, Microsoft’s OEM Division Corporate Vice President Steve Guggenheimer revealed that the company is confident with the progress made with Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, and that as a result, Microsoft will deliver Release to Manufacturing (RTM) code to partners in the second half of July. Windows 7 will become generally available on Oct. 22, 2009, and Windows Server 2008 R2 will be broadly available at the same time.

“As we’ve said many times, quality is our primary goal,” Guggenheimer said. “We announce each milestone once we’re confident of where we are in the development cycle and that it is ready to be shared with customers and partners. We’ve received great feedback from our partners who are looking forward to offering Windows 7 to their customers in time for the holidays.”

In addition to this, Guggenheimer announced that Microsoft will make available an upgrade option, so partners can offer customers the ability to purchase a Windows Vista-based PC and install Windows 7 when it’s ready.

“Microsoft has been working closely with partners to help our mutual customers be able to enjoy the many benefits of Windows 7,” he said. “With that in mind, we’re excited to say that there will be a Windows upgrade program available. Consumers can buy that new PC, whether for a student heading off to college or just because they need a new one, and know they’ll get Windows 7 as part of the deal.”

The actual start date for the program will be announced when it is ready for consumers, and partners are ready to provide details to customers.

One interesting detail in Guggenheim’s speech is an update on a device platform developed in collaboration with Fugoo LLC and first announced at CES in January. The idea of these devices is that they “fall somewhere between smartphones and … full-featured small notebooks.” Examples include “personal navigation devices, portable media players, set-top boxes and networked TVs.”

In addition to the Fugoo-based devices, Microsoft showed off a small, Internet-enabled device based on Nvidia’s Tegra computer-on-a-chip technology.

Further details on Windows 7 pricing and the technology guarantee program are expected by the end of June.

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Topics

Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows, Operating Systems, Microsoft Windows Vista (Longhorn), Software, Ed Bott

Ed Bott is an award-winning technology writer with more than two decades' experience writing for mainstream media outlets and online publications.

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Ed Bott

Ed Bott is a freelance technical journalist and book author. All work that Ed does is on a contractual basis.

Since 1994, Ed has written more than 25 books about Microsoft Windows and Office. Along with various co-authors, Ed is completely responsible for the content of the books he writes. As a key part of his contractual relationship with publishers, he gives them permission to print and distribute the content he writes and to pay him a royalty based on the actual sales of those books. Ed's books written prior to fall 2011 have been distributed by Que Publishing (a division of Pearson Education) and by Microsoft Press. As of November 2011, Ed is a partner in the independent publishing company Fair Trade Digital Exchange, which exclusively publishes his books.

On occasion, Ed accepts consulting assignments. In recent years, he has worked as an expert witness in cases where his experience and knowledge of Microsoft and Microsoft Windows have been useful. In each such case, his compensation is on an hourly basis, and he is hired as a witness, not an advocate.

Ed does not own stock or have any other financial interest in Microsoft or any other software company. He owns 500 shares of stock in EMC Corporation, which was purchased before the company's acquisition of VMware. In addition, he owns 350 shares of stock in Intel Corporation, purchased more than two years ago. All stocks are held in retirement accounts for long-term growth.

Ed does not accept gifts from companies he covers. All hardware products he writes about are purchased with his own funds or are review units covered under formal loan agreements and are returned after the review is complete.

Biography

Ed Bott

Ed Bott is an award-winning technology writer with more than two decades' experience writing for mainstream media outlets and online publications. He's served as editor of the U.S. edition of PC Computing and managing editor of PC World; both publications had monthly paid circulation in excess of 1 million during his tenure. He is the author of more than 25 books on Microsoft Windows and Office, including the recently released Windows 7 Inside Out.

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RE: Windows 7 to launch October 22; RTM next month
beijing2008 14th Sep
that totally made my day! rolex watches uk
View in thread
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Hats off. I rather like 7. Will welcome the RTM come July!
honeymonster 2nd Jun 2009
A bit sooner than expected though. Not that I'm complaining.
0 Votes
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I also like Win 7
Baer 2nd Jun 2009
But then I really do not hate Win Vista. I like Win 7 better however.
0 Votes
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I agree, this is good news
Speednet 3rd Jun 2009
My tests of Win 7 have been very good, much better than Vista was at the same point in time, and I'm very much looking forward to upgrading my day-to-day machine to Win 7.
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RE: Windows 7 to launch October 22; RTM next month
beijing2008 14th Sep
that totally made my day! rolex watches uk
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Do you know if beta keys will work?
LeoD 2nd Jun 2009
Will the existing beta keys work (and still expire of course) or will people without MSDN (etc.) have to stick with RC1 until the RTM hits retail?

I'd like to convert my Vista HTPC to Windows 7 RTM but I don't use that machine for development/testing (not often anyway) so using an MSDN key on there would be rather naughty.

Using a beta key, if they work, then paying for a retail key once they're available would be ideal. Anyone know if that will be an option?

(While I've had the beta and RC1 on some VMs an old/spare machine, I've been holding off installing it on anything I use day-to-day as I can't be bothered reinstalling when it expires. i.e. RTM is what I've been waiting for, but now I wonder which machines I'll be able to get a legitimate key for it.)
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doubtful
JoeMama_z 2nd Jun 2009
you most likely wont be able to use the RC/Beta key's, however Vista/7/2008/2008 will allow you to install without a key and you can slmgr to extend the activation deadline by 30 days as needed.

Net result, RTM Windows 7 without a license key for up to 120 days. Once you get a key, slap it in and activate, maybe have a sandwich?

- Sam
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I was going to say the same
LiquidLearner 3rd Jun 2009
but a flat no on the beta keys working. Could you imagine how much trouble someone would get into if all those beta keys worked for the final release? It would be a huge deal.
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No trouble if they expire *after* RTM hits retail
LeoD 4th Jun 2009
Obviously it'd be stupid if beta keys let people use Win 7 RTM free forever, but doesn't it also seem stupid to not allow beta users to upgrade to the proper RTM code once its ready?

RTM + beta key could expire shortly after the RTM's retail release date.

Makes more sense to me than forcing people who beta tested Win 7 to continue using beta/RC code when the RTM code is finished and available to Technet/MSDN. What's the advantage of keeping testers on an old, buggy version which they have to reinstall over at some point anyway?

If the beta key still expires then it shouldn't affect sales.
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RE: Windows 7 to launch October 22; RTM next month
Loverock Davidson 2nd Jun 2009
Hooray! We finally have a release date. Mark October 22nd down in history as this will be the day the best version of Microsoft Windows yet will be released.
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Considering how low the bar is
Michael Kelly 2nd Jun 2009
that's not saying much. But hey, maybe we'll be able to say even more than that. We'll see.
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Aw come on, OS X and Linux aren't that low.
No_Ax_to_Grind 3rd Jun 2009
happy
0 Votes
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Loverock, you've been in the...
sykandtyed 2nd Jun 2009
bathroom to long. I keep telling you doing that will cause hair to grow between your fingers.

Win7 is what SP2 should have been. MS sold us a crap OS like ME and now wants us to pay for their mistakes. LOL!
0 Votes
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You say "I keep telling you that"
xuniL_z 3rd Jun 2009
I have never seen your nic before. "Awf Tin Wong" is a fitting, yet quite childlike in nature, nic however.


zkiwi, is this you again with another new persona?
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Win 7 RTM
Cosmo54 2nd Jun 2009
I've been greatly impressed with Win 7 (running Beta and RC for some time now), however...their "Live Essentials" apps really really suck! MS needs to come up with something better, even if it is only released later on.

The biggest embarrassment is the Windows Movie Maker Live, which is a huge come-down and massive disappointment, after the quite good Movie Maker on Vista. Yes, I know Live MM is a beta, but it's so dreadful that it never should have been released at all.

MS needs a Windows 7 answer to iMovie, not this awful Windows Live Movie Maker crapola.
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Word!
JoeMama_z 2nd Jun 2009
Never been a big fan of movie maker, but WLMM is terrible.

Unintuitive AND severely reduced functionality doesn't make for a compelling product, and right now everything coming from Microsoft needs to be compelling.
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Give Movie Maker a break ...
de-void-21165590650301806002836337787023 2nd Jun 2009
... they're completely rewriting it from scratch.

The version that is currently available for download is just an early taster - there's a TON of stuff being wrapped up right now that will meet or exceed every one of the prior version's capabilities.

A little patience ... wink
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+1
Cylon Centurion Updated - 2nd Jun 2009
Nicely said.
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live essentials?
olddogv 2nd Jun 2009
I agree, but I never got as far as Live MM. The e-mail, messenger, and search clients were clumsy to set-up, and every time I re-booted, do it all over again. The duties they perform are essential, but with Thunderbird, Pidgin and such available, why bother with crap? Outlook/outlook express were never perfect, but not bad. No shortage of IM clients, or search stuff either. MS should have stuck with a seemingly first-rate OS and left the apps to others.
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Good apps
mgarcia@... 2nd Jun 2009
Actually, Live Essentials including Live Mail are top notch applications. Live Mail in particular is by far the best free email client out there. As for Thunderbird, it hardly compares to Outlook Express -now that's crap.
0 Votes
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At the END of July? Nah....
jlandheer 2nd Jun 2009
RTM will probably be at the 7th of July. (7/7/2009) Source: http://www.itwriting.com/blog/1489-windows-7-july-rtm-october-22-launch.html
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First Windows 7 Virus due October 23rd -
whisperycat 2nd Jun 2009
- Or earlier.
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Hahahaha
JoeMama_z 2nd Jun 2009
that is so funny an original I poo'd a little.
0 Votes
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Actually, since Win 7 is Vista compatible...
jamesrayg 2nd Jun 2009
it will run most malware that works in Vista, so the first windows 7 malware already exists. That said, other OSes are no more secure than modern Windows, they are just so obscure nobody bothers writing malware for them. If the other OSes were popular (~30% market share) you would see a lot of malware for them as well.
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And since Windows Vista installs the user as ...
Confused by religion 2nd Jun 2009
...user and not admin, most malware will operate at most with the level of privilege of user, if it operates at all.

Having been using Vista since RTM, I can easily say that I have been able to skip quite a few "patch Tuesdays" as other OS/Office versions besides Vista/Office 2007 are affected, not those versions.
0 Votes
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Here we go again
rag@... 2nd Jun 2009
It has nothing to do with market share; it has everything to do with OS design. Jeez!
  • Flagged
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Can't it be both?
JoeMama_z Updated - 3rd Jun 2009
1. Based on a malware writers known motivation, and Desktop Linux slim market share it makes no sense to even attempt to write a virus for Linux

2. OS X has finally aquired a healthy desktop market share, and we've seen a significant movement in the OSX security front. Not to say its an epidemic by any means, but in comparison to years before its quite a lot more discovery.

3. Most malware exploits the user rather than software to deliver payload; the design goal of malware authors isn't so much to destroy the computer but to give full control on command, while also being invisible. Keeping this in mind, what exactly does Linux do that make it impervious to users bearing the root password?

- Sam
  • Flagged
0 Votes
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malware for the other OSes ...
lad.koc 2nd Jun 2009
jamesrayg writes: "other OSes are no more secure than modern Windows". This is according to: if you repeat a lie 1000 times, it will become true. The malware as we know it for windows is unique. There never has been anything like it and never will be once Microsoft is forbidden by law. It is based on wrong technical decisions, wrong type of backward compatibility, wrong responses to user requirements, wrong ideas about "registry", wrong mostly anything. The reason for all this wrong is a single one: the only and only purpose of the whole exercis is to make money for any price. This is no "microsoft hate", it is a short statement of the sad facts. It is still Microsoft vs. mankind, and now Microsoft is winning. Eventually, mankind must win. There will be a future without Microsoft. Perhaps it will take United Nations to stop the plague, or perhaps the examples of some of the European governments will be followed. It simply wastes too many resources, as has been well documented by many. Doing research on the role of the taskbar and the "user experience" is just an example of the over all intellectual level of the Corporation. It is a pity, since they employ a lot of relatively clever people who could be solving other more pressing problems than the role of taskbar and how many windows should the user be opening - or taking patents on how to cripple the software (the netbook definitions, screen sizes and all that). The quotes of Microsoft absurdities could go on for pages. How is it then possible that 90 per cent of people believe in Microsoft? Because they read what jamesrayg is writing. We need that child who will tell the world that Microsoft is naked (which refers to Emperor's new clothes - for the benefit of Microsoft users).
0 Votes
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I've heard that before and don't believe it for a second
The Daleks 2nd Jun 2009
Mac market share is roughly 10%; the first quarter of this year, Apple shipped 2.2 million units. It may be a distant second to Microsoft, but that's hardly obscure.

It's a pretty big, untapped target for virus writers, with few users running anti-virus software. It's the sort of challenge that's hard to resist. If virus writers could do it, they certainly would.
  • Flagged
0 Votes
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worst example you could have given....
JoeMama_z 3rd Jun 2009
Since Apple has hit the %10 mark we've seen interest in the platform by the malware community pick up quite a bit. There are now in the wild botnets of OSX computers.

Epidemic? absolutely not. Increasing in severity? absolutely. Because of increasing marketshare? probably.

We'll see an OSX (ala sasser) worm by the end of 2010.
  • Flagged
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Being worsened by Apple
LiquidLearner 3rd Jun 2009
To me the most annoying part is Apple maintaining it's "You're invincible" mantra. They're certainly doing their clients no favors.
0 Votes
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you just need to think about it for a second.
rtk 3rd Jun 2009
You're starting up a new home business, a for profit business.

Do you target 5% of your neightbors, or 95%? Which target do you think you'd have the greatest chance of supporting your business on?
  • Flagged
0 Votes
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That antivirus is called kernel
lad.koc 9th Jun 2009
I think that you are not quite aware what antivirus does. It compares pieces of code with "signatures" of known viruses. There are no known viruses for Mac, so no antivirus software for Mac. Othervise the architecture of Unix does not sort of allow the most primitive virus techniques. Other malware, like bad scripts etc. are a different question. But still, it is not so easy as on Windows. It is all that hiding of known file types, "improved user experience", the registry as it is implemented, and generally because they do not really take it seriously. If it would happen that suddenly there will be increased attacks on OS X, I am sure that the Apple engineers would find a quick response. Because they traditionally want to do a good job and be proud of it. In contrast to that, Microsoft's only aim is to earn money, not at all to do a good job. That type of pride does not seem to exist there.
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Oh good.
Erroneous 2nd Jun 2009
That gives them plenty of time to create another botnet for OSX.
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Whatever Dweeb
t5j1sr 2nd Jun 2009
You FREAKING MacBots are ALL THE SAME. Why don't y'all go log onto MacWorld, & Get the Hell outta here.
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They don't have a life that's why
marks055@... 2nd Jun 2009
and not much to talk about either, their the ones on a 30 year old file system that's a total joke. They overpay for hardware and chug that cool aid, bleep em.
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Your contribution is noted. The same was said about Vista, however....
xuniL_z 3rd Jun 2009
nothing happened. It was secure, like MS promised. But sad old MS haters simply would never admit an achievement from MSFT.


Hey, has your hero Guffman come up with any urban legends about Windows 7 yet?

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RE: Windows 7 to launch October 22; RTM next month
shellcodes_coder 2nd Jun 2009
The sooner the better
0 Votes
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Class-Action Lawsuit For Free Upgrades From Vista October 24th
itanalyst2@... 2nd Jun 2009
.......
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Why?
Cylon Centurion Updated - 2nd Jun 2009
If you run Vista as much as I do, you'd see there is nothing to sue for.

Not like you'd use 7 anyway.
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No reason..
Mike (not Cox) 4th Jun 2009
He's trolling (that never happens here.)

I've been using Vista for more than 2 years, with much less problems than I used to have with XP. Among other things, it seems to be more "resistant" to multiple installs/uninstalls. XP would start crapping out after a year or so, requiring a reinstall. Vista still pretty much runs like when I first ran it (it does boot slower, but then again I've got a lot of extra stuff loading on startup.)

I've installed Windows 7 RC on my laptop (used to have Vista Home Premium.) I don't use the laptop much, so I haven't experimented with 7 RC much, but I like it. I didn't like the new taskbar much at first, but after a few days I was used to it - the only thing I can't get used to is the extra real estate it uses. I'll probably upgrade both my machines to 7 shortly after it's released. That's what I used to do when they didn't have 5 years between each versions anyway.
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re: Cool! But who will be buying then?
alanmcrae@... 2nd Jun 2009
We'll be in "Phase Two: The Credit Card Crunch" of the economic meltdown by then. Who is really going to want to chew up precious working capital just to have a new operating system to tinker with? Most people will be hunkering down to ride out the economic storm and holding onto cash like a drowning man to a piece of floating flotsam. Windows 7 is probably going to have a very limited market for awhile, although disgruntled Vista users would probably try anything at this point. Give them a free upgrade and maybe that would prime the pump a little. Of course, there's always the brute force it onto all new computers with a downgrade license gambit - that's always worth some churn. Should be interesting to watch...
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still no word on cost though
RogerDaryl 2nd Jun 2009
I'm needing to find out as I'm planning to trial my mother-in-law on the Win7 RC. but if it will be too pricey for the final version I'll just stick to Ubuntu on her laptop (she can't stand Vista and prefers Ubuntu to it, but is willing to try Win7)
0 Votes
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She won't like it
thebeans Updated - 3rd Jun 2009
Well, if she doesn't like Vista she won't like 7. Windows 7 has the same "feel" as Vista. I like Vista fine myself. Been using it at work and on a home notebook since Vista RC came out. Have a Mac too. And use XP a lot at work. There is no "best OS", only fluff and blubber.
0 Votes
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Untrue
LiquidLearner 3rd Jun 2009
I know several people who hate Vista that have loaded and used Windows 7 and absolutely love it. That includes a client of mine who's in his mid-70s and loaded it on his laptop becaue he kept reading about it and hated Vista. He's incredibly happy with it.
0 Votes
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Windows 8 Apple...... get it ?
Jibbits Jr 2nd Jun 2009
The comercial starts with a rainbow colored apple sitting on the ground. A windows 8 logo walks over picks up the apple and eats it in one bite. Then the splash screen for windows 8. Fin
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RE: Windows 7 to launch October 22; RTM next month
zebra148 2nd Jun 2009
They can keep it will stay with XP.
0 Votes
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Like the people
LiquidLearner 3rd Jun 2009
who were going to stay with DOS when Windows came out? Or how about the people who were going to stay with Windows 98 when 2000 and then XP came out? Your claim holds as much water.
0 Votes
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RE: Windows 7 to launch October 22; RTM next month
wwiley@... 2nd Jun 2009
I'd like to know can you upgrade to Windows 7 from Windows XP sp2?
0 Votes
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Migration Wizard
de-void-21165590650301806002836337787023 2nd Jun 2009
Thankfully, there is no in-place upgrade for XP --> Win7: Because of the state of most people's PC's that would generally result in a horrible experience.

Instead, use the migration wizard on the Win7 DVD to backup all your data and as much of your profile as can be gathered, flatten your box, clean-install Win7 and then restore your migration data.

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