Windows 7 Will Stretch into the Cloud, Beyond Vista SP1 and XP SP3

If you think that Windows Vista, or Vista Service Pack 1, or even Windows XP Service Pack 3 are the apex when it comes down to the Windows operating system, then you should reconsider... Microsoft revealed that Windows 7 would go beyond both Vista SP1 and XP 3, to deliver an entirely new experience for the end users. Windows 7 will not only bring to the table a completely overhauled Windows core, featuring a stripped down kernel and a redesigned graphical user interface, but it will also expand the user experience beyond what Vista and XP are able to offer today.

Chris Jones, Corporate Vice President of Windows Live Experience, David Treadwell, Corporate Vice President of Live Platform Services, and Brian Arbogast, Corporate Vice President of Mobile Services, have authored an internal memo of the intimate connection planned for Windows 7 and Windows Live, that came under the eyes of Mary Jo Foley. "We will invest to deliver a seamless experience for customers who own a Windows PC. We have a unique opportunity to remove the seams between Windows, our applications, and our services. Windows Live Wave 3 will be designed so it feels like a natural extension of the Windows experience," reads an excerpt of the memo.

The fact of the matter is that the current bridge built between Vista and Windows Live, with Microsoft's suite of services and programs in the cloud taking ownership of such desktop clients as Messenger, Mail and Photo Gallery, does not even begin to scratch the surface of Windows Live + Windows 7. XP has nothing to even come close to this, and XP SP3 will not change this equation.

"While we will target a seamless experience on Windows Vista, we will make a bet on the Windows 7 platform and experience, and create the best experience when connected with Windows 7. We will work with the Windows 7 team and be a first and best developer of solutions on the Windows 7 platform. Our experiences will be designed so when they are connected to Windows 7 they seamlessly extend the Windows experience, and we will work to follow the Windows 7 style guidelines for applications," it is added in the memo.

Microsoft has released Windows 7 Milestone 1 Build 6.1.6519.1 to key partners for early testing. At this point in time, the Redmond company has not commented on any details related to Windows 7. It appears that M2 and M3 of Windows 7 will be served in 2008 with the first beta in 2009, and the final version by the end of next year, but no later than early 2010. Windows Live Wave 3 will follow Wave 2 delivered in 2007, by the end of this year. Windows Live Wave 3 will include another major upgrade to the Windows Live online collection of products and services from Hotmail to Live Search, from messenger to Photo Gallery.

"Windows Live Wave 3 will be designed so it feels like a natural extension of the Windows experience. … We will ‘light up’ the Windows experience with Windows Live. … What’s the relationship between a Windows account and a Windows Live ID (Microsoft’s Web-authentication technology)? Should we have a LiveID connected to account settings?"- reveals another fragment of the memo.

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