At Tech•Ed North America 2009, Microsoft announced that the company is anticipating that the next version of its client operating system, “With early Release Candiate testing and extensive partner feedback we’ve received, Windows 7 is tracking well for holiday availability,” said Bill Veghte. If the telemetry we receive from the Windows 7 RC meets our expectations in terms of quality, then we expect to hit RTM in 3 months or so, said Steven.

In addition, also announced SQL Server 2008 R2 (formerly SQL Server code-named “Kilimanjaro”) will be available in the second half of 2009 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Release Candidate (RC) is available today with the final product releasing to market in the same timeframe as Windows 7.

Possibly bigger news is that Tech•Ed attendees will get the first opportunity to participate in the invitation-only Microsoft Office 2010 Technical Preview program from July 2009. Check out http://www.office2010themovie.com/ and if you’re interested, join the waitlist for the Tech Preview.

More info: Full PressPass