Windows 7 Beta Download Will Be Made Available on Jan. 9 According to Microsoft

Microsoft Windows 7 Beta Downloads to PCs everywhere on Jan. 9. Microsoft Windows 7 Beta will be made available on the Microsoft web-site on the 9th of January, as a downloadable that will showcase the brand new operating system. Users will be able to download the Windows 7 Beta right now if they have TechNet or MSDN Connections, but for the rest of the world, the big day will occur on Friday, Jan. 9, 2009. This certainly also means that Microsoft is going to receive an intense influx of web-site visitors, probably in a dual hope that the Microsoft name gets spread around even more, and that people become more familiar with Microsoft has to offer.

The announcement that Microsoft would be launching the beta of Windows 7 came at CES, as the company started rolling out information about the new operating system. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced the availability of the downloadable at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and encouraged everyone to "get out and download it." It is an interesting marketing scheme from the company for a new product, and will surely get a lot of buzz going for the new Windows 7 operating system.

The trick to all of the rumors and buzz around the Microsoft Windows 7 Beta Download, is that it is going to be a first come first serve sort of thing, where only a limited number of slots will be available for those interested in trying out the new operating system. According to Ballmer, the beta will be capped at 2.5 million downloads, and that the beta version of the system will only be available for a limited time. The downloadable beta looks to expire during the month of August at this point. Until then though, people will be able to enjoy the new operating system free of charge, and get to play around with it until it is officially issued as a product to the public.

Putting a product like this out for the world to see so early is something that can come with both benefits and risks. The biggest benefit is that the excitement around the new operating system will get a lot of users to try out a new product, and possibly go out to buy it once their beta runs out. The other side of coin is that some people are undoubtedly not going to like Windows 7, and may turn ill will towards Microsoft if it doesn't do what they want it to. Either way, Microsoft is making a good decision at letting the public view the beta for free, because not only will it get the name of the product out to the world, but give Microsoft the chance to work through even more bugs that might appear while new users are enjoying Windows 7.

Source: PC World Announcement