Thor Schrock

According to a post on the popular technology website ZDNet, Microsoft is continuing to work their under promise and over deliver campaign regarding the release date of the much anticipated Windows 7 Operating System.

According to the website:

According to a December posting on the Tech ARP site, Windows Vista PCs must be purchased by end users … between July 1, 2009 through TBD (to be determined)” to qualify for the Windows 7 Tech Guarantee program. The wording notes that “OEMs may choose to offer a shorter program period within the allowed date range.”

Windows Vista Home Premium purchasers will get a free upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium, the site says. Windows Vista Business users will get an upgrade to Windows 7 Professional. And users who buy PCs running Windows Vista Ultimate starting July 1 will get a free upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate.

This is not unlike the upgrade program that was offered by many PC manufacturers to avoid the problem that always plagued OEM's just before the release of Windows Vista.  People tend to wait for the new OS rather than continuing to buy PCs as they normally would.  The end result is an unnaturally slow quarter for manufacturers followed by a massive next quarter.  The upgrade offer tends to smooth things out a bit.

It is important to note that manufacturers may choose to extend this offer back even further at their own expense to include users who purchased computers before July 1.

The whispers are that Windows 7 will be released to OEM manufacturers in the 3rd quarter of 2009 so they can have Windows 7 boxes on the shelves for Christmas.  While Microsoft will not "officially" make that promise, they would be foolish to miss the holiday season with such an anticipated release in my opinion.