Everyone will be able to download a beta of Windows 7 by the end of the week (US time), as Microsoft moves into its next phase of replacing the OS that shall not be named.
Windows 7 beta (as opposed to be pre-beta) has already appeared on file sharing networks, but now Microsoft says the public will be able to download it without worrying about a knock on the door in the middle of the night.
The general public will be able to download Windows 7 Beta 1 by Friday in the US – for Australians hopefully that should mean you can start downloading on the weekend.
Microsoft remains confident Windows 7 will be released on time, which means sometime around January 2010 (though there’s speculation it could be as early as late 2009).
“The fact that we’re launching the beta here means we’re definitely on track,” Microsoft’s Darren Huston told us, referring to Microsoft’s commitment to releasing the OS on or before the third anniversary of Vista’s launch.