Microsoft is perhaps going to release the Windows 7 successor later than expected. This is what rumors about Microsoft’s possible development roadmap might reveal that have now been published by the Russian portal Wzor.net.
According to these dates, Windows 8 will start selling in stores from Monday 7 January 2013 onwards. One day later, the most important electronics trade fair CES International begins in Las Vegas, traditionally keynoted by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
Wzor.net tells that Windows 8 is going to be done around final 2012. Currently the Windows team is said to be working on Milestone 2 before Milestone 3 work starts in March. After M3, the first beta version will follow.
In total, two beta versions are planned, each of them public ones. After the betas, the last errors in Windows 8 are fixed with the Release Candidate. Three months later, the new Windows will release to manufacturing (RTM). Obviously, this roadmap does not take into account any possible upcoming problems or changes.