Microsoft will stop offering downloads of the Windows 7
Release Candidate on Thursday, although testers will still be able to install the RC and obtain product registration keys after that date.
The Windows 7 RC actually won't expire until June 1, 2010, but starting March 1, 2010, testers' PCs will start shutting down every two hours as a gentle reminder to upgrade to a paid version of Windows 7. Testers running the Windows 7 Beta started seeing the shutdowns on July 1 of this year.
The stability of the Windows 7 Beta and RC have been widely praised by testers, with many claiming to have been running test builds on their primary PCs.
Microsoft released Windows 7 to manufacturing last month and has since made it available to MSDN and TechNet subscribers as well as volume licensing customers with Software Assurance, (SA). Earlier this week, Microsoft began offering Windows 7 to Gold and Certified partners through the Microsoft Partner Network portal.
Volume licensing customers without SA will have to wait until Sept. 1, and consumers and small businesses won't be able to get their hands on Windows 7 until its Oct. 22 official launch date.
Microsoft, as it did with Windows Vista, is using sponsored research from IDC to drive expectations for Windows 7-related business into the stratosphere. IDC predicts that for every dollar of revenue that Microsoft gets from U.S. sales of Windows 7 until the end of 2010, partners will reap $18.51 in related products and services revenue. Microsoft partners in total will generate about $110 billion in products and services around Windows 7, according to IDC.
Of course, given the hard lessons Microsoft learned from Vista, Windows 7 will probably fare much better than its much maligned predecessor. Microsoft got software and hardware partners involved in Windows 7 from the get-go so as to avoid compatibility issues, and Microsoft had adhered fanatically to a predictable Windows 7 development schedule.
Microsoft has made all the right moves with Windows 7, but the grinding economy will play an equally influential role in determining when customers upgrade to the new OS.
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