Rumor: Windows 8 to arrive on January 7, 2013

[Emil]

A bunch of new information has sprung up regarding Windows 7 and Windows 8, courtesy of the Russian site wzor.net, which has leaked credible information before. Because the dates are so far into the future, however, we're labeling this one as a rumor.

Service Pack 2 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 has already actively been in development since fall 2010. If all goes according to plan, it is reportedly expected to arrive in mid-2012.

Windows 8, meanwhile, is still in the milestone development phase; M3 development will commence in March 2011. The OS is scheduled for the very end of 2012, and the server version will be named Windows Server 2012. Microsoft is reportedly planning two betas for Windows 8 and at least one will be available for public consumption. Three months after the RC is released, Windows 8 will hit the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) milestone. Last but not least, Microsoft plans to begin selling boxed retail versions of Windows 8 on Monday January 7, 2013.

While the roadmap details could certainly be on target, Microsoft's internal plans do change and nothing is set in stone. Furthermore, exact dates leaked this early are even less likely to be accurate. We've known for a while that Microsoft is targeting 2012 for the release of Windows 8.

It doesn't make sense for the operating system to arrive in January; this happened with Vista and the software giant was very sorry it missed holiday 2006 sales. It made sure to get Windows 7 out in time for holiday 2009. We expect Redmond will do everything in its power to get Windows 8 out in time for holiday 2012.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/42085-rumor-windows-8-to-arrive-on-january-7-2013.html

 

[Mizzou]

I'd be surprised if Microsoft even knows down to the day the actual release date for Windows 8. No worries, perfectly happy with Windows 7 and will be in no rush to upgrade unless there are some really compelling new features that I just can't live without ... not likely.

 

[Lurker101]

Well i'm not happy with Windows 7 and have stuck firmly with Windows XP64. Let's just hope that Windows 8 will be a lot better for gaming than Vista and Win7 have proven to be.

 

[princeton]

Lurker101 said:
Well i'm not happy with Windows 7 and have stuck firmly with Windows XP64. Let's just hope that Windows 8 will be a lot better for gaming than Vista and Win7 have proven to be.

Win7 has proven to be better for gaming then XP. You people are holding back technological advancement by clinging to things of the past.

 

[vipor231]

xp is dead and people need to relize that,clinging on to old 10 year old technology is fine if you want too,but don't cry when things stop working

 

[vipor231]

as for windows 7 not being good for gaming i highly disagree on that,windows 7 is the best thing to happen in a very long time

 

[princeton]

Try not to double post viper. But in the two comments I've seen you make, you've made more sense than all of lurker's comments I've seen. I hope to see you hanging around here more.

 

[Lurker101]

If it's been proven to be better for gaming, then why do games run better on XP64 than Win7 on my rig? And why are there still a slew of problems with a range of modern games on Win7 that simply don't exist on the archaic WinXP? I gave Win7 a fair chance, hoping to upgrade but XP64 is still superior in both performance and functionality, as far as my needs are concerned.

 

[princeton]

If it's been proven to be better for gaming, then why do games run better on XP64 than Win7 on my rig? And why are there still a slew of problems with a range of modern games on Win7 that simply don't exist on the archaic WinXP? I gave Win7 a fair chance, hoping to upgrade but XP64 is still superior in both performance and functionality, as far as my needs are concerned.

Your needs and your rig are not the only ones in the world. Also win7 doesn't have problems with modern games that XP doesn't. You're simply angered that your rig doesn't perform well with win7 so you assume that everyone must suffer that issue.

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/reviews/windows_7_review

P.S. these benchmarks are from the win7 launch. Before any improvements,updates or fully suitable drivers.

 

[TomSEA]

Win7 has been proven time and time again to be a superior gaming OS over earlier versions of Windows. That's just a fact, Jack. If it's not running right for you, then it could be a number of problems starting with your own system not being able to handle it.

As far as Win8, I'm with Mizzou. Win7 is working just fine for me and there would need to be a number of substantial upgrades or applications offered for me to consider an upgrade. (Or a super-sweet upgrade deal.)

 

[Lurker101]

Well my rig's certainly got more than enough grunt to handle Win7, but after doing my own tests, I found that XP64 just runs games better than either Vista of Win7 so I've downgraded to XP64.

Say what you want, but at least I gave Win7 a fair try before downgrading.

 

[matrix86]

I agree. When I was on XP waiting for Vista, I was impatient...and then upset. Then I heard of Win7. Once again I was so impatient. I couldn't wait. And now, on Win7, I look at Win8 and go..."Meh, I can wait" lol

 

[Guest]

Until retirement I worked with DEC-Compaq-HP.
After retirement I did some contracting. One job was to evaluate Vista and then WIN7
for deployment.
Vista was a no go.
WIN7 was a winner even on older equipment.
This wasn't gaming platform, but still very resource intensive.

 

[Benny26]

Wooo Start your engines for jan 2013!!....Nah only kiddin', Win 7 will almost certainly be still holding strong on my system even after then. Plus i doubt i'll have saved enough money to even afford the "Windows 8 tramp/bum package".

 

[Guest]

@matrix: funny, I felt the same way. Was digging for scraps of XP long before launch, running leaks, and the final version early. Same with Vista and 7. Now, I see Win8 news and read it cause I'm a tech geek, but I kinda say, "meh, whenever, take your time MS". Win7 success!

 

[princeton]

Lurker101 said:
Well my rig's certainly got more than enough grunt to handle Win7, but after doing my own tests, I found that XP64 just runs games better than either Vista of Win7 so I've downgraded to XP64.

Say what you want, but at least I gave Win7 a fair try before downgrading.

We've given you more than enough evidence to prove that you're wrong. If you want to go believing win7 is bad just because you have problems then go ahead.

 

[Guest]

For me win xp x86 is up to 20% faster than win 7 x64 for almost every game i tried (unreal 3, starcraft 2, oblivion) and 3dmark06. Fresh installed OSes with a radeon 4650 and intel e5200

You say win7 is faster just because your rigs are so powerful you can't tell the difference between 292 and 257 fps...

 

[red1776]

For me win xp x86 is up to 20% faster than win 7 x64 for almost every game i tried (unreal 3, starcraft 2, oblivion) and 3dmark06. Fresh installed OSes with a radeon 4650 and intel e5200

You say win7 is faster just because your rigs are so powerful you can't tell the difference between 292 and 257 fps...

what? yikes, then you have other issues. win 7 vs XP for gaming has been benchmarked in to the ground. You have other things going on if that's true. If you tried win 7 the games will default to the highest DX version available many times, where as XP will only run DX9 or less. So if your running a game in DX 10/10.1 in win7, and DX9 version in XP, 20% is right around the FPS hit for the higher DX version in many games.

.....read the article princeton posted

 

[matrix86]

Guest said:
@matrix: funny, I felt the same way. Was digging for scraps of XP long before launch, running leaks, and the final version early. Same with Vista and 7. Now, I see Win8 news and read it cause I'm a tech geek, but I kinda say, "meh, whenever, take your time MS". Win7 success!

For once, Balmer actually said something smart when he said W8 will be their riskiest product, and comments like ours just prove his point. But who knows, when the betas start coming out, we could be singing a different tune. It's hard to imagine, but it's not impossible...just improbable

 

[Relic]

Like most here I'm perfectly happy with Windows 7 and have no intention on upgrading right away unless it really has some 'must have' features, shoot I still haven't finished upgrading all my PC's to 7 =( .

 

[g4mer]

I have both Windows 7 and Windows XP 32bit. XP runs much better for gaming than Windows 7 to me too. Maybe it's because W7 is more compatible with never CPU's and XP with older ones like mine. Or maybe it's DX10 thats slowing gaming idk...

 

[Benny26]

g4mer said:
I have both Windows 7 and Windows XP 32bit. XP runs much better for gaming than Windows 7 to me too. Maybe it's because W7 is more compatible with never CPU's and XP with older ones like mine. Or maybe it's DX10 thats slowing gaming idk...

I'm the same. I keep an XP aside for gaming, it's always run my games better than 7...Nobody can straight tell you that your wrong because people have different setups (including software aswell).

 

[fpsgamerJR62]

Too early to be thinking about Windows 8. I still have one PC running Windows XP Home 32-bit and a newer one running Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit. Probably just use XP to run my older games and Windows 7 for the current titles. I have plenty of both because as I get older, i find myself accumulating more game titles than I actually have time to play them on my gaming PC.

 

[captaincranky]

Well my rig's certainly got more than enough grunt to handle Win7, but after doing my own tests, I found that XP64 just runs games better than either Vista of Win7 so I've downgraded to XP64.

Well, sometimes it's like that in the bathroom too, all grunt, and no go....

Besides, XP 64 bit has the worst reputation of any version of XP. If you're having luck with it, God bless you.

Win7 has proven to be better for gaming then XP. You people are holding back technological advancement by clinging to things of the past.

You seem to have a habit of massively overestimating both your influence and effect on the tech arena as a whole. "Forward progress" can sometimes be overrated. And sometimes, "Forward progress", is just worthless propaganda from somebody trying to generate cash flow.

You might try taking your megaphone and going out in the real world, to businesses just getting by, and tell them they're "holding back technological advancement", by clinging to one of the best operating systems ever produced. Which, by the way, is Win XP.

Better still, put your money where your mouth is, and cut them a check for a copy of Win 7. If you're broke, but your heart's still in the right place, at least write them Win 7 drivers for their aging prebuilt computers.

Yeah, a few malingerers at Techspot are the driving force behind OS development at M$. Get a grip, if you don't already have one.

Oh, a final, "word to the wise" note; there are certain neighborhoods where you shouldn't ever start spouting that, "you people" phraseology. It seems to have a profound and infuriating effect on some ethnic groups

 

[Mizzou]

... Besides, XP 64 bit has the worst reputation of any version of XP. If you're having luck with it, God bless you.

In addition to that well known fact is a lesser known fact; namely that XP 64 would be deader than a doorknob had it not been for Vista 64 and Win7 64. Without the drivers developed for these two operating systems you'd still be running the very limited range of hardware that XP64 originally supported.

This from the Wikipedia summary on Windows XP editions:

Known issues
There are some common issues that arise with Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.
Driver compatibility; Only 64-bit kernel mode drivers are supported. This means that devices for which there are no 64-bit Windows XP drivers available cannot be used. This includes a lot of common hardware; such as CD drives, DVD drives and USB. The amount of unsupported hardware has fallen because of the proliferation of x64 Vista and x64 Windows 7.