Microsoft's near-final Release Candidate version of Windows 7 could be due in less than two months, says a source within Microsoft. The company is reportedly making progress according to its exact schedule and will purportedly launch the RC build for both testers and the public on April 10th. The update would come just three months after the public beta build and would give Microsoft a full eight months to produce the fully finished version that represents the last milestone.

The company has long promised a shortened development schedule for Windows 7 but has publicly insisted that it doesn't anticipate a release before early 2010, or three years after Vista's release. The quickened RC process, if not struck with delays, hints that the company fully intends an accelerated launch that would have the software released by the end of 2009. Multiple leaks and other clues have suggested that a production version will be ready by July to ensure that PCs are ready with the major upgrade before the holidays.

While considered stable, the sped-up OS release is believed prompted by a continued hostile perception of Vista that sees multiple PC makers selling XP downgrades several months after the 2001 software was to have left the market. Business reception has also been cold with just a fraction of companies having installed Vista two years since its release.