Vista Sucessor to Hit in 2009

While it may sound hard to believe with Vista just hitting store shelves, Microsoft plans to release their next operating system as early as 2009.

According to a Microsoft executive, the company is already starting to draw up plans to deliver the Vista successor as early as 2009. Keep in mind that this is likely a large service pack equivalent, although it could be a significant overhaul. Vista shipped more than five years after the introduction of Windows XP and about 2 1/2 years after Windows Service Pack 2 was released. So in the general timeline of things, this would make sense. Gizmodo and PC World are both reporting that the new operating system or service pack has an internal code-name of "Vienna" but Ben Fathi, corporate vice president of development for Microsoft’s Windows Core Operating System Division, would not confirm the name.

So what exactly can you expect out of the new OS? Fathi is not letting on too much, only hinting that it might include some new "enabling technology" or a new user interface. In an earlier interview with Newsweek, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates let on that future versions of Windows will be more user-centric and will incorporate the internet and Live Services so user’s settings may transfer from one PC to another regardless of where they go. Gates also suggests that students could be using tablets instead of text books, thanks to improved digital ink and speech tools built into Vista and future operating systems.