Actually, and this is a conspiracy theory on my part, I think Microsoft is secretly planning to release Windows 7 as the Service Pack upgrade to Vista. If you own Vista already, you can upgrade (perhaps for a nominal fee). If you don't use Vista yet, you can skip buying Vista altogether and jump to Windows 7.
Not only will this give Microsoft a bunch of street cred for not being as greedy as they are made out to be (though, really, Apple's overpriced, closed-system stuff is greedier) by making Vista owners buy a full-price upgrade, but it will allow Microsoft to completely ditch the unsavable Vista brand name.
Let's face it, Windows 7 is a Service Pack for Vista. A damn fine one. "What everyone hoped Vista was going to be," etc. Microsoft is calling it a new operating system to get the hell away from the Vista name, and why not? With the rave reviews Windows 7 has been getting, there will be absolutely no reason not to finally upgrade from XP.
Just a hunch on my part, but seriously, why not do this?
Slashdot Mirror
Actually, and this is a conspiracy theory on my part, I think Microsoft is secretly planning to release Windows 7 as the Service Pack upgrade to Vista. If you own Vista already, you can upgrade (perhaps for a nominal fee). If you don't use Vista yet, you can skip buying Vista altogether and jump to Windows 7. Not only will this give Microsoft a bunch of street cred for not being as greedy as they are made out to be (though, really, Apple's overpriced, closed-system stuff is greedier) by making Vista owners buy a full-price upgrade, but it will allow Microsoft to completely ditch the unsavable Vista brand name. Let's face it, Windows 7 is a Service Pack for Vista. A damn fine one. "What everyone hoped Vista was going to be," etc. Microsoft is calling it a new operating system to get the hell away from the Vista name, and why not? With the rave reviews Windows 7 has been getting, there will be absolutely no reason not to finally upgrade from XP. Just a hunch on my part, but seriously, why not do this?