Microsoft unveils Windows 10 ship date, OEM prices leak online: Is this OS ready to debut?

Microsoft has officially confirmed AMD’s previous leak — the next version of the venerable Windows operating system will be available on July 29. Microsoft plans to finalize the Windows code by the end of June before shipping it to hardware vendors.

 That leaves scant weeks for the company to finish the code. There’s no doubt that Microsoft’s teams are working overtime — the company has been rapid-firing releases out to its beta testers every few days — but there are real questions as to whether the OS we receive on July 29 will be anything like “ready” for prime time.

Microsoft has already stated that Windows 10 won’t be delivered like a traditional Windows operating system. Instead, the company will incorporate a software-as-a-service model that takes the old style Windows Update approach and streamlines it into a continuous cycle. Key components, like extension support for the Edge browser, won’t arrive until after the OS has shipped. Presumably, the focus these next few weeks will be on stability — ensuring that software and hardware compatibility is no easy task considering that Microsoft has guaranteed that tens of millions of devices will receive collective free upgrades to the new operating system.