Windows 10 Could Be Out In July

John Lister's picture

A key PC hardware firm has let slip that Windows 10 will be ready at the end of July. That may not be the date the public will get its hands on the new system, but suggests that Microsoft has taken additional steps towards the final launch date.

The timeline revelation came in an investor conference call from AMD, one of the leading makers of computer processors. Chief executive officer and president Lisa Su made reference to the company's forecasts - particularly, when it will need to supply processors to computer makers with respect to Windows 10 launch date.

"What we also are factoring in is, with the Windows 10 launch at the end of July, we are watching the impact of that on the back-to-school season, and expect that it might have a bit of a delay to the normal back-to-school season inventory buildup," she said. (Source: computerworld.com)

Microsoft Won't Reveal Windows 10 Launch Date

Microsoft refused to comment on the specifics Su's remarks. While it's possible she made a mistake or an assumption, industry analysts say AMD would almost certainly know the details of Microsoft's timetable, as it is critical to their business.

What isn't clear is whether Su's mention of the Windows 10 "launch" refers to the actual date users can get hold of Windows, or instead is the release to manufacturing (RTM) date. That's when computer makers get the master discs which they can start putting on new machines, ready to ship when Windows 10 officially launches to the public.

Automated Tools for Windows 10 Deployment

Whatever the actual launch date is, Microsoft is laying the groundwork for the new system. The latest monthly automatic updates for Windows 7 and 8.1 include download and installation tools "to upgrade your computer... to a later version of Windows."

Tech experts who have examined the code say it appears Microsoft is setting up computers now to be ready to upgrade to Windows 10 when the time comes. There will be a behind-the-scenes application that checks whether the computer has the technical specifications needed to run the new system.

If that all looks OK, the user will see a pop-up message telling them Windows 10 is ready. The user will then choose whether to go ahead, and the system won't be upgraded without their approval. If the user does agree to the upgrade, everything else will be completely automated. (Source: techradar.com)

Upgrade Should Be Fast And Free

It even appears the update may use peer-to-peer file sharing. That means that rather than every user downloading all the files from Microsoft's servers, they'll be able to get pieces of the files from multiple other users who have already started or have finished the download. That will greatly reduce stress on Microsoft's servers and could speed up the download process.

Such meticulous preparation is necessary as Microsoft has chosen to make Windows 10 a free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8.1 users for the first year after its release. That's likely to mean a record number of people wanting to install it right away.

What's Your Opinion?

Will you get Windows 10 as soon as it's available or wait till you read more user reviews? Is it a smart move for Microsoft to get the installation tools on computers already? Do you think it will be able to cope with demand given it's a free upgrade?

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Comments

Dennis Faas's picture

I'm looking forward to Windows 10 as it's going to be a much more polished version of Windows 8. Frankly, I'm tired of the Windows 7 interface and I'm eager to try something new. Even though Windows 7 is a very solid operating system, there are many, many new and improved features in Windows 8 (and 10) that I'd like to get my hands on and become more familiar with - especially tools for administrators.

guitardogg's picture

I've been deploying Microsoft operating systems to large groups of users since the DOS days. One thing I've learned, is to never deploy the first version of any Microsoft product! I always wait for the first (at least) wave of updates. Let others find the bugs, the ones that always show up when lots of real users put it to the test. Once Microsoft fixes those initial problems, then consider a large deployment. That said, I've been playing with the Win10 tech preview, and it looks pretty good!

ecash's picture

I agree..
Iv worked on many environments, in the past 30+ years.
And with MS/windows...I will wait 3-6 months..Before I put it on any computer..
THEN on a test machine first.
Wait for all the drivers/patches/ soforth to get updated and fixed..
I dont expect SOME things to work very well, if at all.
Then you have to expect the Hardware developers to catch up, which they wont do until Win10 is out in the wild.
Im tired of being a beta tester for released programs, When I expected a finished product.

gilvoice's picture

I have win 10 ( build 100049) on four ancillary machines and have had no problems with it, other Than the occasional freeze up (maybe once a week). The only caveat is, I only use Microsoft software and the people who use them know what they are doing. I guess I should mention there is QuickBooks, Adobe and HP printers.
As things stand now I am looking forward to doing clean installs of Win 10 on its formal release. And I do believe you really should do clean installs to minimize problems that can develop from over writing.

guitardogg's picture

ALWAYS do a clean install! MS has a poor history on using the update path for a new OS. Even if it worked well, why bring along a bunch of old junk?

gi7omy's picture

I'm a shade annoyed that all MS seem to be doing is to let people upgrade an existing OS to W10. I'm another who would prefer a clean install and having to install W7, activate it by phone (I've had it since the launch and it won't automatically activate) and then do the 'upgrade' is going to be a very tedious affair. If they would either issue keys to anyone with a legit copy of 7 or 8.1 or allow the existing keys to be sued in a single install life would be so much simpler

blueboxer2's picture

Maybe all the bells and whistles and bright shiny toys that accompany Windows 10 will finally take me to computer Nirvana, or maybe obsessive security will kill some of my favourite utilities, mutilate the aspects that endear various current programs to me, and others will cause irreconcilable compatibility issues with the programs I am happily using in Win7. Of late it seems every time Windows "improves" or "updates" itself, some cherished program is no longer compatible. Maybe it will all resolve itself, maybe it will prove not to matter, maybe the tradeoffs will balance in favour of the new version. But whaatever the case, I think I'll let the rest of the world do the trial and take the losses and make my own decision when I know the downside ass well as the up.

andrew_4498's picture

It may well be unwise to hurry with the W10 conversion, unless one is an adventurous computer expert, which I am not. For us ordinary mortals the best will be to follow the news traffic on Infopackets, and hope that Dennis will disseminate some advice as to what and how to do. Let the experts here, and at MS sort out the teething problems first, then my type will faithfully (and successfully) install W10. Thanks in advance.