main

Guess the Windows Vista Launch Date

Tom Warren   on 30 December 2005 - 12:00 · 44 comments & 5760 views

Advertisement (Why?)
Think you can guess the date Windows Vista will officially debut next year? If so, you can win an all-expenses-paid trip to the launch event, or one of nine Xbox 360 consoles. The contest is being held as part of Microsoft Europe's new Beta Experience program, which is designed to keep users up to date with Vista and Office 12 news.

"As a member of the Beta Experience, you are one of the first to be informed of the new product features, long before the final version is released to the market," Microsoft says. Those 18 years of age and residing in Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom may enter.

View: Betaexperience Launch Contest




Post a comment · Send to friend Comments · There are 44 additional comments
#1 Jugalator on 30 Dec 2005 - 12:13
Well, I'm from Sweden and received that mail too some months ago, and went ahead guessing.
#2 CDog on 30 Dec 2005 - 12:26
In the future - I win
(4 replies) #3 thenay on 30 Dec 2005 - 12:29
Canada isn't listed on the contest page, but it let me try
lol
#3.1 Yvo on 30 Dec 2005 - 12:47
Last time I checked, Canada is not part of europe even though it tries very hard to be part of europe :-P.

#3.2 xorian on 30 Dec 2005 - 12:53
Muha
#3.3 asha_b on 30 Dec 2005 - 15:01

What and pakistan is!

Last time I checked, Canada is not part of europe even though it tries very hard to be part of europe :-P.
#3.4 tony1979 on 30 Dec 2005 - 19:44
seems we can still enter, or at least push the buttons on the page, and it doesn't tell us we don't qualify.
pick canada, and it goes, so who knows.

and to Yvo, when the heck was the last time we tried very hard to be apart of europe?
anyone who thinks that has been smoking to much free weed, and tim hortons donuts :-P
(8 replies) #4 antsy on 30 Dec 2005 - 12:34
I wonder how long after Vista's is launch it will be before the next version of windows is talked about.
#4.1 Kalphegor on 30 Dec 2005 - 13:04
next day after lunch date
#4.2 CDog on 30 Dec 2005 - 13:12
They kinda have already
#4.3 bucko on 30 Dec 2005 - 13:35
blackcomb is the next one right?
#4.4 sphbecker on 30 Dec 2005 - 16:00
Blackcomb is a code name that refered to the next big version of Windows back when Longhorn was only going to be a point release. Now that Longhorn is the big version 6.0 I really don't know what they will do with the Blackcomb name, if anything. There is going to be a point relese after Vista around 2008/9 (like what XP was for 2000 - version 6.1). My guess is that that point release will not be called Blackcomb, but no one really knows at this point.
#4.5 MNS on 30 Dec 2005 - 16:57
AFAIK, Blackcomb was supposed to be a rewrite from the ground up of the kernel, and to be marketed for the server industry. i'm guessing we won't be hearing about it til 2011 in the earliest (wow, doesn't that sound like way in the future? like when it was ~95 and you talked about the year 2001 or 2002? when in actuality it's just 5 years from now, just like 2001 was 5 years earlier.. time is tripping me out!.
#4.6 sphbecker on 30 Dec 2005 - 17:08
I would agree that the next major version of Windows will probably be around 2011, but I will not try to guess if it will still be called Blackcomb. It is true that the first iteration of Blackcomb was going to be a server and that a desktop client would follow shortly after based on the same code, but so much has changed sense then that I wouldn't expect that to still be set in the plans. As for being a rewrite from the group up; I don't know how these rumors get started but they simply are not true; Windows 7.0 will no more be a rewrite then Windows 5.0 (2000) or 6.0 (Vista) were. Will there be major changes and enhancements to the kernel, sure; will they remove a lot of old legacy 16 and 32 bit support, probably; but it will not be a rewrite.
#4.7 MNS on 30 Dec 2005 - 17:30
yea, you're probably right sphbecker.. i'm commeting on something i picked up way back when Whistler was in development..

so any thoughts on when is Microsoft planning to ditch Windows as a whole and start a new OS from scratch? IMO they've learned a great deal in the past 10 years and are certainly on the right track. they have the best programmers in the world, the only thing holding them back is an almost 20-year-old kernel.. i'm not a "fanboy" in the least, but i think whatever Microsoft pumps out after Windows will be the future of the OS, whether they continue to dominate the market share or not..
#4.8 leojei on 30 Dec 2005 - 18:44
I would agree with sphbecker, Blackcomb (or whatever ppl will call it later) will likely not having the kernel write up from scratch. Even all fundamental changes are in Vista now, Vista isn't rewritten too, while the changes are big enough to have a new version (instead of 5.3 or 5..
#5 digitalslacker on 30 Dec 2005 - 12:44
yesterday?
:|
(1 reply) #6 xorian on 30 Dec 2005 - 12:58
That movie with the old lady after submitting your date is kinda funny..
...
WAIT!
Microsoft became funny? It must be a new evil strategy!
#6.1 rm20010 on 30 Dec 2005 - 18:36
All of those videos are just funny.
#7 Gowcra on 30 Dec 2005 - 13:11
eh?
#8 plastikaa on 30 Dec 2005 - 13:34
4th july - purely because its independance day
(1 reply) #9 Julius Caro on 30 Dec 2005 - 14:09
This is what it says "The majority of the testers are currently working towards November 02, 2006. I would be grateful if you would look into this!"

Of course, this doesnt mean it is november 2, it's just "their guess".
I say October 31

Maybe the launch day will be the same as Windows Xp back in 2001? Which day was it, btw?
#9.1 sphbecker on 30 Dec 2005 - 16:43
XP was launch officially in late October (25th I want to say), but you could buy new computers with an OEM installation of XP a few weeks before that.

I agree that Vista will probably come around that say time of the year in 2006, but picking an exact date would be like picking lottery numbers.
#10 Nexx295 on 30 Dec 2005 - 14:22
It'll be the 27th of July, 2006.

Or maybe not...
#11 Mister Lamar on 30 Dec 2005 - 14:46
I'm just ready for it to come out.
#12 kyro on 30 Dec 2005 - 15:13
i wish osama bin laden staying in pakistan wins this contest... muwhahaha
#13 JamesCherrill on 30 Dec 2005 - 16:09
So when did France cease to be a part of Europe?
(1 reply) #14 advancedboy on 30 Dec 2005 - 16:17
it will most definately be february 30. Steve Ballmer, along with his marketing rep, 50 Cent, told me on the phone just now.

I pick November 6, and it will be forever known as "Glass Monday", but on Neowin, it will be known as OMGWTFBBQVISTAZORZ! RELEASEDZORS!... and then, a few minutes later: M$ SUCKS! OMFG IT'S SOLD OUT!...I SHOULD HAVE PREORDERED! Money hungry --blah, blah, blah

speaking of sold out...would that even be a possibility?
#14.1 sphbecker on 30 Dec 2005 - 16:52
Yes, it is very possible, unless MS allows you to buy/download on-line (which they have never done for anything other then Plus! enhancement products). However, a CD and box require much less effort to make then an Xbox 360, so I would bet that you would be able to get your hands on a copy pretty quickly.

I am not going to pre-order unless they ship the orders a few days prior to release. Every time I have pre-ordered software I have always found in on the selfs before I receive the order.
(1 reply) #15 Angel Blue01 on 30 Dec 2005 - 16:46
When will Windows OEM become availalble in stores for us to put in our built systems?
#15.1 sphbecker on 30 Dec 2005 - 16:56
Technically an OEM license is only to be used for a newly built system; not to upgrade an existing one. If you buy it along with some kind of hardware upgrade you would probably be okay.

If Vista is anything like XP; then you might be able to get OEM copies before the retail version goes on sale. However, there is a big difference between a company like Dell getting their OEM software and someone building a home computer. The answer; who knows.
(2 replies) #16 MNS on 30 Dec 2005 - 17:01
i can't believe they're aiming for Q4, i was getting excited they would get it out by the summer.. they're at what, beta2 now? you don't need a year for spewing out RCs! but then again, it's Microsoft.
#16.1 warwagon on 30 Dec 2005 - 18:22
Then again, I wouldn't want another windows ME
#16.2 MNS on 30 Dec 2005 - 20:38
SPs and subsequent updates couldn't save that, it wasn't the rushing that killed it. besides, including System Restore was a great feature at the time (and the only thing that could help you out when the system exploded).
#17 Co_Co on 30 Dec 2005 - 18:02
im thinking around october 15th
#18 Hills420 on 30 Dec 2005 - 18:35
Lets guess the release date of OS X for x86
#19 haydn82 on 30 Dec 2005 - 19:41
Ummm........ My guess was probably well wrong but I gave MS alittle longer on it than Nov 2nd! hehe
#20 s0nic69 on 30 Dec 2005 - 21:09
i went ahead and tried, not going to win tho, but i was bored, and thought i would go ahead and guess a date.
(1 reply) #21 toadeater on 30 Dec 2005 - 22:20
It will be out on the 20th. Two weeks later, the first security patch will be out.
#21.1 advancedboy on 31 Dec 2005 - 05:50
well, it'll be a good thing that they patched it then. Imagine what ms bashers would say then.

and don't call me a fanboy, I don't even use Windows, but I know I'll be installing it for my parents who can't be bothered to use Linux like everyone else in the family....

#22 darkstar559 on 31 Dec 2005 - 04:01
November 27th. End of discussion.


Edit: Why is this reply form so fancy yet there's no spellcheck? I haven't gone to school in a while..
#23 TwoTailedFox on 01 Jan 2006 - 04:06
My Prediction:

May 28th for RTM

General Availability for October 31st
#24 xpclient on 01 Jan 2006 - 08:16
RTM: 31st August
General Availability : 1st October

Not my guesses. I want those to be.
#25 Hikaru on 01 Jan 2006 - 14:26
Hmm, let's get 365 neowin members from Europe and have them answer a day each! lol! Then we'll definately have a Neowin member winner! Unfortunately, I'm from Malaysia, so I don't qualify to win anything.. But my guess would be... July 31st because.... it's..... my BIRTHDAY!

Commenting has either been disabled on this article or you are not logged in. Click here to login or register, its free!

Note: Anonymous commenting is disabled in order to keep the quality of responses to a high standard.

Advertisement (Why?)