Microsoft: Windows 7 on track for 2010

The successor to Windows Vista, simply known at the moment as "7," should be released in 2010, Microsoft has confirmed. Leaked information revealed recently that the operating system has already hit "Milestone 1," an internal marker of development progress. Microsoft has previously said that the Vista sequel would arrive approximately three years after the debut of Vista; since business clients received Vista early, however, it was unclear if this would mean late 2009 or sometime in 2010.

"We are currently in the planning stages for Windows 7 and development is scoped to three years from Windows Vista Consumer GA [general availability]," says a Microsoft spokesperson. "The specific release date will be determined once the company meets its quality bar for release." The public version of Vista went on sale in January 2007.

Microsoft raised further confusion earlier this year, when it mentioned a three-year development plan without tying it to the launch of Vista or a beginning to work. Rumors had also been circulating that Microsoft would pull the release date of Windows 7 closer, given lackluster sales of Vista. [via Softpedia]

Filed under: industry
Other story tags: Microsoft, Windows, Vista