It’s official: Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 7 will go on sale in time for the 2009 holiday shopping season.
After making the Windows 7 release candidate available earlier this month, a Microsoft executive on Monday said the latest version of its operating system — a version that follows the dismal reception of Windows Vista — will hit store shelves later this year.
“Windows 7 is tracking well for holiday availability,” said Bill Veghte, senior vice president of Microsoft’s Windows business, at the TechEd NorthAmerica 2009 conference in Los Angeles. Veghte based estimates on feedback the company has received, as well as Redmond’s internal testing. However, Veghte emphasized that Windows 7 will not ship until it meets Microsoft’s quality standards.
The Emerging Competition
The Windows 7 release is important for Microsoft as the company looks to shake the stigma of Vista in the midst of a troubled economy. Although Microsoft is a diverse company with many divisions, Windows is its flagship product and makes up about $60 billion of its annual sales. Releasing Windows 7 in time for the holidays could cause a welcome revenue boost and make Vista a distant memory.
“If the telemetry we receive from the Windows 7 RC meets our expectations in terms of quality, then we expect to hit RTM [Release to Manufacturing] in three months or so,” said Brandon LeBlanc of the Windows 7 team. “If this happens, it looks like we’ll be able to have Windows 7 done in time for the holidays. I want to underscore that our top priority remains quality. This guidance does not alter that principle.”
Although Microsoft Windows boasts about 90 percent of the world’s operating-system market share, the company is seeing threats emerge from various directions that make timeliness and excellence keys to holding on to its market dominance.
Microsoft will find…