Rumor: Windows 8 Beta Launching in September, With An April 2012 RTM
Rumor: Windows 8 Beta Launching in September, With An April 2012 RTM
Posted 07/10/2011 at 6:00pm
| by Justin Kerr
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Steven Sinofsky and his team are guarding the release date of Redmond’s next OS pretty carefully these days, but despite the all the clues that point to a 2012 launch we haven’t had much to go on until now. According to ZDnet’s Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft should be ready to launch Windows 8 by no later than summer 2012, with an official beta being seeded to developers at the September build conference.
Foley’s trusted source within Microsoft also claims to know for a fact that this will be the one and only beta release, with an RC version coming soon after in January if no major bugs are discovered. Microsoft has already openly admitted that they are somewhat less interested in feedback this time around, so a shorter beta period makes sense if the rumored timeline holds true.
I suppose we’ll have to wait and see, but is less than 3 years too soon for a new version of Windows?
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Silencer
December 21, 2011 at 2:53pm
Note the date. It will bomb, worse than Vista did. Goodbye, M$! :O)
news_bot
July 13, 2011 at 4:47pm
Hm, I like my Windows 7 and really don't want to change OS so soon. Anyway, I don't think it would be a big problem, I don't remember having any problems when switching from XP to 7. And, honestly, I know a lot of people who use Vista and they never complain about it! Why everyone keeps calling Vista a failure is just out of my range of understanding =)
j814wong
July 13, 2011 at 1:42pm
Some people will trust it is good despite less user feedback only because it is made by Microsoft.
Anyway I don't like how Microsoft wants less user feedback. I'll stick to Linux. Where OS developement is actually what people want and not what they are told they want.
j814wong
July 13, 2011 at 1:42pm
Some people will trust it is good despite less user feedback only because it is made by Microsoft.
Anyway I don't like how Microsoft wants less user feedback. I'll stick to Linux. Where OS developement is actually what people want and not what they are told they want.
Antherz
July 11, 2011 at 12:41pm
Honestly, I never had a problem with vista....and win7 just optimized vista in my view....i'm not saying windows 7 isn't good. i'm just saying.
maxeeemum
July 11, 2011 at 1:11am
"Microsoft has already openly admitted that they are somewhat less interested in feedback this time around"
That should tell you what they think of their customers. Windows 8 is a "we will tell you what you want OS". They will soon find out many are not the "Applle sheep" customers that blindly follow Steve Jobs. Twenty years ago if you told me Blockbuster would go out of business I would have said no way. Microsoft should watch what they are doing. Remember IE was absolute king once but now Firefox and Chrome are moving in. Win8 will be another ME and Vista failure OS. Also another nail in the MS coffin.
Wingzero_x
July 11, 2011 at 6:33am
Sure it sounds bad, especially when taken out of context, as it is, but there is a really good reason why they have to take that stance. even though I do believe there were better tactful ways to handle this. Like how Apple has their unsolicitated suggestion policy.
As of this time Windows 8 is in early development. Now what if somebody suggested something that you were already working anyway. Well you can see where that would go. I think once the beta comes out then they would be more acceptable of suggestions.
As far as the release schedule, I really have no problem with it provided the support structure remains in place. (which would put Win7 to be supported till 2016.) But I see touch screens more and more in our future and Windows 8 will be ready, while OSX will be supplanted by iOS just to keep up.
But let's face it no matter who makes the OS suggestions are just wishful thinking on the users part. Just look how long many people have been clamoring for a standard installer in Linux. Or how many developers want to compine GPL code with proprietary code that they don't want others to see or use, but are unable because of the rules of the GPL.
Holly Golightly
July 11, 2011 at 1:10am
Releasing a product in less than 3 years is a little too soon in my opinion... But this is a fresh start. From what I have seen, Windows 8 is a revolution by design. So in a way, Windows 8 release date is not soon at all. If anything, I would have preferred it'd be released by this upcoming holiday. But I guess as the old saying goes, beggars can not be choosers.
aarcane
July 10, 2011 at 10:16pm
am I the only one who read "Microsoft has already openly admitted that they are somewhat less interested in feedback" to say "Microsoft admits they don't care what customers think" ?
dougau
July 10, 2011 at 8:02pm
If Windows 8 sells as good as WP7 phones we'll be doing just fine! ;)
lindethier
July 10, 2011 at 6:36pm
I really don't see the point in pushing out Windows 8 now, other than for getting it into the tablet market. Otherwise, I'm happy with my copy of Windows 7. I am kinda suprised at the lack of interest in customer suggestions this time around, compared to Windows 7.
profdlp
July 10, 2011 at 10:11pm
" I am kinda suprised at the lack of interest in customer suggestions this time around, compared to Windows 7."
I suppose that it's because Vista was so lousy people felt the need to speak up. Windows 7 is pretty darn good, meaning that most folks are probably happy with the status quo.
livebriand
July 10, 2011 at 6:19pm
Less than 3 years is fine since the last completely fine version will still be up to date. On the other hand, XP stuck around for nearly a decade. (Did they have to brake what wasn't broken?)
kixofmyg0t
July 10, 2011 at 7:59pm
I always brake what isn't broken, its when you break what isn't broken that ends up being problematic.
Wingzero_x
July 11, 2011 at 6:08am
And if you didn't brake what isn't broken, it will soon be at least dented!
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