View this article at: http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/01/14/win.7.office.14.due.early/
Wednesday, Jan 14, 2009 12:45pm
Windows 7, Office 14 both due early?
Both Windows 7 and its Office 14 companion suite are all but certain to ship in 2009, an internal Microsoft source tells SAI. The tip supports notions of an accelerated launch and asserts that Microsoft's insistence on an early 2010 target for either release is just a public front to manage expectations, as both software packages are near-certain to arrive later in 2009. Microsoft's new Windows chief is credited with the speed-up courtesy of his discipline in releasing software early.

"EVERYONE knows it is coming out in 2009," the anonymous contact writes in referring to Windows. "The same should be said for Office 14... the guy who use to run Office, Steven Sinofsky, now runs Windows. Obviously the two groups will have the same policies around disclosure."

The apparent leak follows the release of just a single Windows 7 beta this past weekend that is functionally complete, confirming the company's plans for a shortened release schedule that may see only a single widely distributed release candidate before Microsoft ships the software to stores. Windows 7 mostly focuses on the user interface and performance gains and so is fundamentally near-identical to Vista underneath, simplifying Microsoft's development time.