According to it’s corporate bigwigs, Microsoft will releases Windows 7 in early 2010. That’s not the whole story, however. Ina Fried at CNET has heard from Microsoft Director Doug Howe that Windows 7 should be ready for general consumption by the 2009 holidays. Answering a question from Fried, Doug Howe said "Definitely the holiday focus is going to be on 7."

Using the Vista launch as a template, this would put the Windows 7 OS in the hands of OEMs and big business IT staffers by the middle of the year, just three months shy of consumers. Now we play the waiting game.