It's official: Windows 7 will make its debut on October 22. Microsoft confirmed the late-October launch date with PC World, details of which leaked out earlier today.

Windows 7 development should finish up in July, at which time it will be released to PC manufacturers. The October 22 date will be a full retail rollout for the OS - although pricing has yet to be announced.

Microsoft will provide a "tech guarantee" for upgrading users, though its details are still to come.

There were some rumblings of an October launch in late April. Microsoft's initial target release date was in January 2010, but the company did confirm last month that Windows 7 would make its debut this year, before the holiday shopping season.

Windows 7 will come roughly 33 months after Windows Vista's January 2007 release. This compares with Windows Vista's five-year gestation period (Windows XP made its debut in late 2001).

If you can't wait to get your hands on Windows 7, Microsoft has the Windows 7 Release Candidate you can test. Windows 7 RC is the final pre-release version of the OS and can be downloaded now.

Which Windows 7 features are you looking forward to most? Leave a comment or drop us a line on Twitter (@pcworld).