Rumor: Windows 7 Beta 1 in December

Usually all auguries of keenly anticipated technologies originate from anonymous sources, and yet excitement mounts with every unsubstantiated bit of news. Keeping that tradition alive, rumors related to Windows 7 are escalating. Now, according to a report on ZDNet, Windows 7 beta 1 won’t arrive in October/November, as the website previously speculated, but in December.

The report that cites unnamed sources – no surprises – further claims that Microsoft has supplied some of its most intimate customers and partners with alpha builds of the OS designated M1 and M2 (M stands for milestone); M3 is in the works per the sources. A beta release by the end of this year will almost ensure the release of Windows 7 in late 2009 or early 2010; therefore, this delay won’t have a huge impact on Windows 7 release plans.