Windows 7 'Release Candidate' Debuts for Some - Page 2

Page 2 of 2

Happy holidays for Microsoft and partners?

"They're [Microsoft] clearly on a timeline that gets it [Windows 7] out in time for the holidays," Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD Group, told InternetNews.com. "Even if they're done [with RC testing and have RTMed] in two months, they really need it done now if they're going to get it out by back-to-school."

That's not likely, he said, but it may not be bad news overall. While it might be possible for Microsoft to get at least some Windows 7 product into the channel by September, users -- both corporate and consumer -- may not have the cash to buy new PCs or new upgrade software until a hoped for financial upturn. Waiting for the all important holiday sales may, then, work in Microsoft's favor.

"I'd like to see the economy settle down a little bit first, so another couple of months shouldn't hurt," Baker added.

Indeed, an Acer executive reportedly told gadget site Pocket-lint, Thursday, that it will begin selling PCs with Windows 7 pre-installed on October 23 -- right in line with Baker's predictions -- too late for back-to-school but in plenty of time for the holiday season.

"23rd October is the date the Windows 7 will be available. There is a 30 day upgrade time so that customers don't wait to buy a new computer, so if you buy during that 30 day period, you'll get a free upgrade to Windows 7", Bobby Watkins, Acer's UK managing director, reportedly told Pocket-lint.

Meanwhile, the Windows 7 RC has a couple of additions to what users saw during the beta test cycle. High on that list is what Microsoft calls "Windows XP Mode," or XPM, a virtualization capability that lets users run XP applications that might be incompatible with the new operating system to actually run alongside Windows 7, providing compatibility for orphaned applications.