Office Pro Plus New signs point to Windows 7 debut

As I;ve outlined a few occasions on this weblog, Microsoft privately is telling a few of its buyers that Windows 7 will probably be out in the latter 50 percent of 2009.It;s accurate, as Microsoft;s spokespeople contend, the “public guidance” around Windows seven hasn;t changed; Microsoft marketeers continue to state that Windows 7 is on track to ship three years after Windows Vista was released to market (and cite that target date as January 2010). As a number of Microsoft watchers, yours truly included, have noted, Microsoft is NOT gonna release another version of Windows client in January again unless there;s a awfully compelling reason to do so. The best time to RTM a new Windows release is summer if you hope to get it preloaded on back-to-school and holiday PCs.With all this as a given, it;s not surprising that OEMs are starting to admit that they expect to ship Windows seven on new machines within the latter half of 2009.I;m also not surprised that Microsoft is dropping hints about Windows 7 being ready sooner rather than later. As blogger Long Zheng noted,Microsoft Office Standard, text on the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) 2008 site currently states that Windows 7 will ship before the next WinHEC is held. The exact wording:“Be one of the first to see what;s new in Windows seven and be among a select several to receive a pre-beta build of Windows seven. Join us as WinHEC 2008 – Register today. WinHEC is the only chance for you to engage with the team at this level – there is not another WinHEC planned before Windows seven is released.”The plot thickens further. When I searched the Web for “WinHEC 2009,Windows 7 Professional,” it looks like the next WinHEC seems to be slated for New Orleans from May 3-7,Microsoft Office Professional Plus, 2009 (although Microsoft potentially could postpone next year;s WinHEC to late fall, like it did this year).Could it be that Windows 7 is even earlier than even the most optimistic date watchers are predicting and that it;s on track to RTM before mid-2009? If it is,Microsoft Office 2010 Product Key, I wouldn;t be surprised to see the broadscale,Office Pro Plus, public Windows 7 Beta 1, which I;m still hearing is set for mid-December, to be the only public beta for the next Windows release.Understandably, Microsoft isn;t commenting on any of these latest date predictions. The company doesn;t need to do anything more to throw cold water on Vista than its officials already have….I;ll be interested to see how forthcoming (or not) Microsoft officials are about Windows 7;s due date at next week;s Professional Developers Conference.