Reports online have outlined the future plans for Microsoft’s Windows Vista operating system just as the company’s newest offering, Windows 7, has gone into full-on release candidate mode.
The interwebbery is aglow with reports that if you hop over to the official Windows 7 RC download site, you can get your hands on the newest version of the software to keep for a year without spending a penny.
But before we get carried away with Windows 7, what does the impending release of a new Windows OS mean for our existing Vista systems?
According to several online sources Microsoft will continue to sell Vista until January 2011, a date far exceeding the arrival of the Windows 7 full release (October 23rd according to a leak at Acer) so there will be some considerable overlap, and probably confusion for the average consumer, particularly as there will be different editions of each system. Multiple operating systems, multiple SKUs and much confusion, nothing new there then.
Although an option, it seems unlikely given the criticism of its Vista OS that Microsoft will be looking to extend its standard sales-cycle to further the availability of Vista in its many forms beyond this date.
If that seems a little too close for comfort fear not, Vista’s three consumer editions will be fully supported until January 2012, and will receive patches until the Spring of 2017.
If you’re interested to see what will be in store for Microsoft’s customers when the full retail release of Windows 7 arrives on October 23rd then hop on over to the download page to check it out for yourself.