As a Vista user, have you often thought you ended up buying a BETA or even ALPHA copy of an OS? More and more Windows users are even going to so far as to downgrade back to XP. Well, it seems that Redmond is listening but they’re not doing what you’d expect them to do … instead, their reinventing the wheel. Again.

Engadget has a story about how Microsoft has already very quietly released Windows 7, the followup OS to Vista, to strategic development partners with the goal of going global in 2009. Originally, the heir to Vista’s throne wasn’t due to come out until late 2010. But the word on the street is that pre release candidates may be out for download as early as April or May of THIS year for alpha and beta testing with a release date sometime in the third quarter of the following year.

If that schedule holds true, it’s a clear sign that Microsoft has already punted on the issues plagueing Vista and will probably release only casual service packs and security updates while they lock down Windows 7 to make it ready for prime time.

Either way, I wouldn’t be buying any of the 1900 versions of Vista any time soon.