Windows 8 to RTM in 2012 and Hit Shelves in 2013

Windows 7’s successor, currently dubbed Windows 8 or Windows vNext will be released to manufacturing in the second half of 2012 and will hit store shelves in early 2013.

One trusted source close to the Redmond company revealed that the software giant’s current plans are to ship Windows 8 to customers on Monday January 7th, 2013.

Of course, Microsoft has not offered confirmation of this date, nor has the company made public an official timetable for Windows 8, including development milestones such as Milestone 1, M2, M3, Beta, Release Candidate or RTM.

I’ve heard that 2013 was considered for the General Availability deadline of Windows 8 from a number of sources, not just Wzor.

But customers must understand that these are nothing more than the Redmond company’s current plans. And plans, especially when it comes down to software development, have the custom of evolving and changing.

Let’s take the example of Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1). Some of you might remember that Microsoft initially said that it would ship Windows 7 SP1 RTM by mid-2011.

In accordance with the progress made when building the upgrade, the software giant modified the delivery date, and it will beat its initial estimates by a few months, since Windows 7 SP1 has already been RTM’d some claim, and is right on track for availability in the first quarter of 2011.

Similarly, Microsoft could indicate that Windows 8 would be a 2013 deliverable, and then, having under-promised will over-achieve and offer the next major iteration of the Windows client ahead of the announced date.

I’m also thinking that it would simply be good market strategy for the software giant to push Windows 8 back a tad, even though the move might be artificial, in order to allow Windows 7 to fully consolidate its success.

Microsoft representatives did underline time and again that they were targeting new Windows releases roughly three years apart, and this means that Windows 8 commercial availability is in fact closer to October 2012, or in late 2012, rather than in 2013.

Still, with a January release the difference is measured in terms of days, and nothing more, and I think that Microsoft could get away with it.

This especially considering the fact that with a 2012 RTM, Windows 8 would indeed be wrapped up and offered at least to some customers in less than two years.

Microsoft is expected to finalize Windows 8 Milestone 2 in the coming months, with the first pre-M2 Builds already produced.

The company will then push Windows vNext to Milestone 3. M3 is estimated for finalization in March 2011, with Windows 8 moving onward to the first Beta after that.

It appears that Microsoft is planning to release two public Beta development milestones of Windows 8, and only then produce the RC release.

This would place Windows 8 RC sometime in the first half of 2012, and the RTM of the operating system three months later, starting with mid-2012.