Microsoft Starts Freezing the Market with Windows 7 Promises

It’s political season, so we should expect dirty tricks. But I expected super spin on candidates, not operating systems. It appears, at least according to the story “Windows 7 Looking Like a June 2009 Delivery” that Microsoft’s dirty tricks division is already at full strength, just like we’d describe a hurricane. Since every hurricane and politician creates enormous hot air, Microsoft evidently decided to blow plenty of hot air itself.

Notice the exact timing of the proposed June 2009 delivery for Microsoft 7. If the announcement claims less than six months, everyone laughs and ignores it. If Microsoft claims the Vista successor will be out in 18 months, everyone ignores it. But nine months away sounds plausibly far away enough, yet stays within the year-out planning horizon of large company’s IT departments.

We can’t say for absolute certain that Microsoft is lying, any more than we can really say a politician’s promise is a lie. Obama or McCain could reform Washington, fix education, and lead us to peace in months in Iraq and Afghanistan, just as they promise, but “things will happen” and none of these promises will be kept. History tells us Microsoft will pull out the “things happened” excuse late next spring about why June 2009 really becomes December 2010. Yes, my prediction for Vista Plus (or whatever they call it) is really early 2011, with a few boxes shipped in 2010 so they can claim the earlier date.

We the People have been onto politician’s tricks for years, but the news organizations are too gutless to demand answers when fed promises on the campaign trail. IT folks, and geeks everywhere, show similar gutlessness when Microsoft spews hot air. We report what they say, because it’s news (because it’s Microsoft).

If you plan for new Windows in the summer of 2009, shame on you. Your stupid penalty will be looking like a rube that got fooled, once again, by Microsoft.

** If Microsoft actually ships retail versions of Windows Whatever in June 2009, I won’t take this back. Why? I’ll probably have died from shock, that’s why.