It seems that Windows 7 is more complete than previously thought. During a keynote at Computex Taipei 2009 in Taiwan, Steve Guggenheimer [Corporate VP, OEM Division] revealed a whole lot more on the schedule of Windows 7.
According to Steve, "Microsoft will deliver Release To Manufacturing [RTM] code to its partners in the second half of July". Steve was prime with confidence, citing that "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."
Long story short - like we previously announced, Back-To-School 2009 shopping spree will be marked with the launch of Windows 7. If you're tech-savvy, you should have no issues finding and running the Windows 7 RTM in just a few weeks from now. If you buy a PC starting from August 1, 2009, you should be covered by Microsoft's Windows 7 Upgrade program and have a coupon that will grant you a free upgrade to the appropriate version of Windows 7 once the OS hits the stores on October 22, 2009. We would say that buying a PC before Windows 7 comes out is a better option, given the fact that you'll actually end up with two licenses for the OS: Vista and Windows 7.
One of interesting statements was also Microsoft's admission that Windows 7 runs great on netbooks, which was rumored to be a thorn in Microsoft's side. But, any PR is a good PR, and good PR is really something that Microsoft hasn't experienced in three years. "Customers are finding that even on the scaled-down hardware of the small notebook PC platform, Windows is running smoothly and delivering the experience consumers are asking for because it just makes things simpler and tasks easier,".
The keynote also featured the fusion between nVidia and Microsoft, showing off Windows Embedded CE software on various Tegra "Computer-on-a-Chip" devices. Microsoft is impressed with performance and versatility of Tegra hardware in the smartphone, MID and small netbook markets.
But the biggest news are Windows 7 RTM - you can count from today: T-40 [days]. As soon as it hits MSDN, you know where you can find it.
