Windows 7 beta release speculation continues

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 22 December 2008 12:39

Opinion and Analysis

Reports have put the Windows 7 beta release date at January 5th, 7th and the 13th, while a so-called “publishing error” saw a “Windows 7 beta” download link appear at Microsoft’s Windows 7 site. C’mon Microsoft, when will you release the Windows 7 beta?

Ah, Windows 7. Computerworld’s Preston Gralla says its been designed as a “Linux Killer ”, mostly due to the fact it is being designed to run very nicely on today’s – and tomorrow’s – netbook computers, and does so impressively with the existing pre-betas. 

Update: A supposedly real, yet still pirated edition of Windows 7 beta 1 has hit the torrents, please click here for all the details! The original story continues below.

ZDNet’s Ed Bott posted a picture of the accidental “Windows 7 beta download link” that mysteriously appeared over the weekend, sending those who want the official beta into spasms of speculation – only for Microsoft to come out and say it was a publishing error.

But there are those who are likely to be using the real Windows 7 beta today, or will be before year's end, as noted at Neowin, which said that the official invites have been sent to a select group of beta testers, while ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley has part of the email printed at her blog.

There have been other claims that Windows 7 would appear on the 5th of January, potentially to spoil any Macworld demo of Mac OS X 10.6, on January the 7th following Steve Ballmer’s presumed preview at the pre-CES keynote, and on January 13, when Microsoft’s Developer conferences start up again for 2009.

So far, copies of Windows 7 pre-beta 6801, 6936 and 6956 have leaked onto the web, but everyone wants the 7000-series builds, which are meant to be the real beta 1 release, and no-one has yet been able to leak it online.

BlogsDNA has a screenshot of the Windows 7 beta 7004 build, which has blue folders that some thought might mean new Windows 7 graphics, although the consensus appears to be that they are simply Windows Live Mesh folders for synchronisation instead.

While it seems unlikely that Microsoft will unleash the Windows 7 beta to the public before Christmas, something that many had hoped would happen, the beta looks set to be released sometime in the next 22 days.

It seems like a long time to wait, but if you’ve been using XP or Vista all this time, there’s not much longer to go.

So, when do I think it will officially be released? Please read on to page 2.