By Jimmy Rogers (@me)
Contributing Writer, [GAS]
Yesterday, Microsoft tweeted, and for once, the internet listened. That’s because their tweet went something like this:
“Here it is, the *official word* on Windows 7 general availability: In stores starting October 22nd! Details at http://bit.ly/ccSyd ^MS”
That’s right, after much speculation and an initial launch date of January 2010, the guys in Redmond have finally made it official and chosen October 22nd, 2009.
This is very good timing for Microsoft, in my opinion. While they won’t quite make the “back to school” season (much to my chagrin), they will have had the OS out for several months by the time the holiday season rolls around. This is important for two reasons:
- The OS will be available pre-installed on new hardware. Vista attempted to skate through on the “Vista Ready” program and suffered the consequences.
- The few months of mass usage will give Microsoft the time to squeeze out the major bugs and get a head start on the first service pack.
It looks like those who need to buy a machine sooner than October will have the ability to participate in the Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program, which, as the name suggests, allows you to upgrade to 7 once it’s launched. No details were announced though.
[via Engadget]