Windows 7 gets a name: Windows 7

Microsoft has announced the name for their successor to today's Windows Vista OS: "Windows 7". 

As you probably know, Windows 7 has also been the codename for Microsoft's next OS, so this marks the first time Microsoft has used the codename for the final retail name of a Windows product. According to Microsoft, the Windows 7 name was chosen for its simplicity:

The decision to use the name Windows 7 is about simplicity. Over the years, we have taken different approaches to naming Windows. We've used version numbers like Windows 3.11, or dates like Windows 98, or "aspirational" monikers like Windows XP or Windows Vista. And since we do not ship new versions of Windows every year, using a date did not make sense. Likewise, coming up with an all-new "aspirational" name does not do justice to what we are trying to achieve, which is to stay firmly rooted in our aspirations for Windows Vista, while evolving and refining the substantial investments in platform technology in Windows Vista into the next generation of Windows.

Simply put, this is the seventh release of Windows, so therefore "Windows 7" just makes sense.

Windows 7 is expected to be released sometime next year.