Enterprises gearing up for Vista may need to step back and take a deep breath. Its arrival may be a little later than expected, according to a new research note from Gartner. The report bluntly states: “Microsoft can’t accurately predict them more than a few months out, and organizations that are too reliant on Microsoft making shipment dates are leaving themselves open to excessive risk.” Put simply, Microsoft isn’t likely to meet its revised shipping date by January 2007.Gartner’s betting on the second quarter of 2007, that is, if there are no hitches in coming months. So what is the analyst firm’s metrix?It was 16 months between beta 2 and the release to manufacturing of Windows 2000, according to the report. That process for Windows XP took only five months, which is the same time frame Microsoft has provided for Vista. However, the development of Windows Vista for Microsoft is more on par with Windows 2000 in terms of its scope.Vista marks a major overhaul to the OS, just as Windows 2000 did when it was released. This means it more likely will take nine to 12 months, not five months, for Microsoft to make Vista stable enough for final release following beta 2. But according to Microsoft’s current release schedule, Vista should be in manufacturers’ hands by October, and available to business customers through its volume licensing program in late November or early December. Microsoft has said that the final beta 2 release of Vista will come in May or June. Even if that is correct, Gartner says, it still means Vista won’t be released to manufacturing until at least February 2007.Typically, the general release of the OS comes about two months after that, which would put Vista’s general release on PCs at about April 2007. That is, if all goes well. In other words, don’t hold your breath.-Sandra Rossi, Computerworld Today (Australia)This article is posted on our Microsoft Informer page. For more news on the Redmond, Wash.-based powerhouse, keep checking in.Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content feature Expedia poised to take flight with generative AI CTO Rathi Murthy sees the online travel service’s vast troves of data and AI expertise fueling a two-pronged transformation strategy aimed at growing the company by bringing more of the travel industry online. By Paula Rooney Jun 02, 2023 7 mins Travel and Hospitality Industry Digital Transformation Artificial Intelligence case study Deoleo doubles down on sustainability through digital transformation The Spanish multinational olive oil processing company is immersed in a digital transformation journey to achieve operational efficiency and contribute to the company's sustainability strategy. By Nuria Cordon Jun 02, 2023 6 mins CIO Supply Chain Digital Transformation brandpost Resilient data backup and recovery is critical to enterprise success As global data volumes rise, business must prioritize their resiliency strategies. By Neal Weinberg Jun 01, 2023 4 mins Security brandpost Democratizing HPC with multicloud to accelerate engineering innovations Cloud for HPC is facilitating broader access to high performance computing and accelerating innovations and opportunities for all types of organizations. By Tanya O'Hara Jun 01, 2023 6 mins Multi Cloud Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe