Windows 7 is a smashing success according to Microsoft, whose statistics indicate that the operating system sold in excess of 60 million licenses since General Availability in October 22nd, 2009.
At the same time, Microsoft is shifting its focus on the next iteration of the Windows client, which, according to the Redmond company, is at least codenamed Windows 8, if the moniker won’t become the official brand, just as it was the case for Windows 7. But while looking ahead, at just three months after Windows 7 GA, Microsoft is not yet ready to talk specifics about Windows 8.
In an interview with ZDNet UK, Steven Sinofsky, president, Windows and Windows Live Division, managed to be as elusive as possible. For example, to the question whether Microsoft will be able to top Windows 7 with Windows 8, Sinofsky stated “There's no answer to that. That's what we do, and that's the work we're going to do. It's the balance between solving problems and innovation.”
Users that have followed Softpedia closely already know that Sinofsky gave a similar answer at the start of January 2010, when he indicated that Windows 8 would need to ensure that innovation and resolving existing Windows issues are priorities of the development process moving forward. Sinofsky’s answer, however, is a clear indication that Microsoft is nowhere close to sharing any sort of details on the successor of Windows 7. At least not for the time being, and end users are in for a long draught that will probably last at least throughout 2010.
However, Sinofsky denied that he put together and is currently operating a master plan behind the Windows 8 project. “That wouldn't be how I would work. In fact, nothing could be less... The very last thing great product development needs is one person saying how it should be. If you think about the complexity of our industry, there isn't one person who could do all of this,” he said.
Despite the fact that the version number for Windows 7 starts with Windows 6.1 while Windows Vista’s was 6.0, and in spite of the fact that the latest Windows client is considered the evolution of its predecessor, rather than a revolutionary release, customers have crowded without hesitation to buy the new OS. Whether Windows 8 tops its precursor remains to be seen, early adopters will most likely get a taste of the next version of Windows at least in 2011, if not earlier, in 2010.
source: news.softpedia.com
