Microsoft Rumors: Windows 8 to RTM in April 2012
Comments Off It’s been a while since I blogged about another of my (not so) crazy Microsoft rumors. It’s also been a while since I’ve heard any kind of an update on Windows 8 timing. In that spirit — here’s the latest, plus the ground rules for those weighing how believable this information may or may not be.
As part of my job as a full-time Microsoft watcher, I get a lot of tips about Microsoft from customers, competitors, partners and even some Softies themselves. However, ever since I worked for PCWeek as a reporter close to 20 years ago, I had it drilled into my head that until I could get three independent sources — none of whom was repeating something s/he heard in an echo chamber — to corroborate a tip, I couldn’t run it as a story.
These days, I see lots of single-sourced tips being posted by bloggers and journalists. More than a few of these are based on a single, anonymous source, with no further identification to help readers decide whether a tip is likely to be true or not. No “according to a Microsoft partner who requested anonymity.” No “so says a small-business customer angry over the latest slip-up, who asked not to be identified.” Not even a thinly veiled “according to a person who was not authorized to speak for Company X” (but did so anyway). Read more »
