Windows 7 go for Oct 22 lift-off, sneaking in ahead of Google Android

Confirming the world’s worst-kept secret, Microsoft says it will release Vista’s successor on October 22 - three months earlier than its original launch date as it hustles to beat the netbook version of Google’s Android to market.

US media have decided that Microsoft’s aim is to get Windows 7 on shelves in time for the North American holiday season.

NBR’s take is that the software giant is reacting to the nascent - but potentially devastating - threat posed by Google’s Android operating system, which is set to make the jump from phones to netbooks by the end of October.

Earlier today Acer became the first A-list PC maker to officially  to sign on to Android, with a netbook based on the Google OS due by the end of October. HP and Dell are pending. Joining the crossover spirit, cellphone chipset maker Qualcomm is also pushing its all-band 3G, 1GHz SnapDragon processor for Android, creating the so-called smartbook category, which netbook pioneer Asus is backing.

The release-to-manufacture version of Windows 7 will go to PC makers during late July or early August, according to a post on an official Microsoft developer blog today.

The new OS will reach retail PCs by October 22. Those who buy Windows Vista between now and its successor’s release date will likely qualify for a free or discounted upgrade, but Microsoft has yet to confirm details, or which PC makers will be participating - a state of affairs that speaks to a rushed released schedule.

Pricing has yet to be announced.

An official Windows 7 compatibility site has yet to be populated with any information, again reflecting the a crash-on release schedule.

Like Vista, Windows 7 will come in a plethora of versions, from an Ultimate Edition to a Starter Edition, which will be light on multimedia and business networking features, but no longer suffer a three-application limit.

Microsoft has already scored one commercial victory, with PC World, the largest computer chain store in the UK (not to be confused with the magazine of the same name), declaring it will only sell netbooks that run Windows 7.