"23rd October is the date the Windows 7 will be available. There is a 30 day upgrade time so that customers don't wait to buy a new computer, so if you buy during that 30 day period, you'll get a free upgrade to Windows 7," Bobby Watkins, Acer's UK MD told Pocket-lint.

Windows 7 RC, slated for download by MSDN and TechNet subscribers Thursday and by the general public on May 5, doesn't expire until June 1, 2010, 13 months from Friday, Microsoft confirmed Thursday.

East notes though that Microsoft touts Windows 7 as working "on a broader array of hardware than any other release of Windows at launch," and that the company will inevitably be important to the netbook industry. "Perhaps there will be support in future," says East, "but that's really for Microsoft to comment on and not for us to comment on, I'm afraid." The first release candidate of Windows 7 was recently released to developers, without support for ARM chips.

"OEMs that are using Windows XP on netbooks will have the ability to install Windows XP for one year -- 12 months -- after Windows 7 general availability," said Mike Nash, corporate vice president of the Windows product management group at Microsoft, during a conference call with reporters.