Windows Vista Details Emerge In Wake of RC1

I like the part about:

"We'll have a few surprises by January."-
Microsoft Product Manager Chris Flores

Let the guessing games and assumptions begin. :-)

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On Tuesday, Microsoft finally announced its plans for shipping Windows
Vista Release Candidate 1 (RC1) to more than five million people
around the world. And in various RC1-related briefings, the company
also talked about some of its plans for the final version of Vista for
the first time.

Although Microsoft hasn't publicly committed to a date, it still plans
to complete the final version of Vista on or before October 25, 2006.
The term final, in this case, however, is a misnomer. Microsoft will
certainly find problems with the so-called release to manufacturing
(RTM) code between late October and the expected January public
release, and will most certainly ship various hotfixes and other
updates for the system via Windows Update during that time.

In a briefing last week, Microsoft Product Manager Chris Flores also
hinted that the software company has a surprise of some sort in store
for Vista customers. "We're not going to just sit around between RTM
and the public release," he told me, refusing to elaborate. "We'll
have a few surprises by January." (It's also worth noting that
Microsoft will issue a major kernel update to Vista in Service Pack 1
(SP1) by the end of 2007 to bring the system's internals up-to-date
with the Longhorn Server kernel. It's unknown whether Vista SP1 will
also include major new user features.) Microsoft plans to schedule
separate launch events for the business and consumer launches of
Vista, although details of those events are in flux.

Microsoft also used the RC1 announcement to admit that recently
published reports about the pricing of various Vista product versions
are correct. Depending on the version, Vista will set customers back
$89.95 to $399.00, a range that's identical to that of corresponding
Windows XP versions. Prices for PC bundles, of course, will be
significantly less. Various Microsoft representatives have confided
that they now expect Vista Home Premium to be the volume version of
the product. This version is roughly analogous to XP Media Center
Edition and offers numerous digital-media advances. Please refer to
"Windows Vista Pricing Revealed" on the SuperSite for Windows for more
information about Vista pricing.
http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=376F8:7EB92F

Regarding the timing of the release, Microsoft is confident that it
can continue to meet its current schedule, although the company is
careful not to appear overly optimistic. Various Microsoft
representatives have noted in recent days that the initial reaction to
RC1 has been largely positive but that the company will delay Vista
further if feedback justifies it. It's hard to keep track of the
number of times Vista has been delayed because the company originally
planned to ship Vista in 2003.

If you're still waiting to gain access to RC1, the wait is almost
over. Microsoft tells me that it shipped RC1 to testers and various
close partners on Friday and that it will ship the build to MSDN,
TechNet, and the Customer Preview Program (CPP) in the coming days.
The company is also going to open the CPP to more customers, so users
who didn't join for Beta 2 will be able to test the new version now.
Microsoft expects more than five million people to evaluate Vista RC1,
if magazine bundles are considered.

Following RC1, testers can expect a few more interim builds, but RC1
will likely be the final major milestone that's shipped to numerous
customers. Microsoft still plans to ship Vista to its volume-license
business customers by the end of the year--a slight rewording from its
original November 2006 pledge--and to consumers by the end of January
2007. Amazon.com reports on its Web site that Vista will ship January
30, 2007, but Microsoft won't confirm that date. However, the company
does admit that it will offer a coupon to customers who purchase XP-
based PCs this holiday season so that they can upgrade to Vista at a
discount price once it's released. Details of this plan remain
sketchy.

As always, stay tuned to the SuperSite for Windows for the latest
Vista RC1 information.
http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=376FE:7EB92F