With its October release date steadily approaching, Microsoft announced today that it has released the code for its highly-anticipated operating system Windows 7 to PC manufacturers. It means the company is pacing itself well for the fall release.

Just a day after Microsoft created a stir with news of a Windows 7 Family Pack, whereby the OS can be installed on up to three computers, the company has kept the hype up with today's announcement that PC makers, including industry heavyweights Hewlett-Packard, Acer, and Dell, will now be loading Win7 on new computers. (Source: arstechnica.com)

Win7 Road to Recovery

It's good news for PC manufacturers and Microsoft, both of which need to recover from a rocky Vista release that saw underwhelming sales and less-than-satisfactory reviews. In addition, the allure of a new, powerful operating system might tempt consumers to shell out more for a top-of-the-line laptop or desktop, both of which have struggled in the shadow of the suddenly almighty netbook.

Neither Microsoft nor PC manufacturers make big bucks off those economy-priced and packaged netbooks. Many wonder if their Atom processors will be able to handle Win7, and certainly Microsoft is betting that many consumers will choose to upgrade their PCs.

Windows 7 Goes "Gold"

As for Win7's Release to Manufacturing (RTM), keep in mind that some manufacturers have been testing the OS for several months. However, this ship-out is referred to as "gold code," meaning that it's virtually identical to what we'll see in stores on October 22. (Source: reuters.com)

With just three months to go, Microsoft has managed to garner impressive pre-sales while avoiding any controversy (you'll recall that news of the infamous Windows Genuine Advantage emerged about the same time as Vista). That alone seems to be an achievement.