Bob Familiar, Architect Evangelist working for Microsoft, has posted a blog entry detailing next weeks MSDN Developer Conferences. The MSDN developer conferences take place across the United States from the 9th December through to the 19th February 2009.

In the blog post Familiar states "attend an upcoming MSDN Developer Conference and you will receive a Windows 7 Beta 1 DVD". It's not clear whether this is post conference or during the conference itself. However another Microsoft employee, Keith Combs, has confirmed the DVDs will be available on the 13th January. Putting 1 and 1 together, and little birdies whispering from across the ocean, next years Consumer Electronics Show runs from the 8th January to the 11th so this would place beta 1 at the right time for a grand unveiling. Judging by the quality of 6801 Microsoft is well placed to release the beta as early as possible. Fellow Microsoft blogger Ed Bott believes Windows 7 beta 1 will feature at CES too.

The only slight hitch in Microsoft's plan? MacWorld. The conference runs from 5th January to 9th January and Steve Jobs is one of the keynote speakers. If Apple have been working overtime then they could release the highly anticipated Snow Leopard operating system and steal Microsoft's thunder.

Microsoft has always publicly stated that Beta 1 will be ready Q1 2009 so unveiling and releasing at CES fits perfectly within Q1 and is one of the best places to unveil a new operating system. In other Windows 7 related news, Chinese site it168 posted some recent photos of Windows 7 build 6956 obtained at WinHEC 2008 China which begins today.

Posted: Dec 02, 2008 11:47 pm