Friday, April 4,2008 @ 2:15pm
Gates: Windows 7 sometime in 2009
Microsoft chief Bill Gates said in a seminar today that he expects Windows 7 to appear sometime in 2009, potentially hinting at an accelerated release. The company has to date suggested that it would maintain a three-year development cycle between Vista and the new operating system but will now allegedly see the software "sometime in the next year or so," according to the company co-founder. He declines to provide a more specific timeframe.
Gates also adds that the new OS will focus on more dramatic leaps in technology, including improved integration with cellphones and more advanced support for touch and multi-touch controls, such as those found in the Surface table computer. The company recently showcased an early notebook prototype that would use multi-touch on its main screen.
One recent report also suggests that version 7 may represent a major code break from Vista and require a compatibility layer to support earlier programs.