This News.com story reports that Microsoft is planning to release its next major revision of Windows in around three years. According to the story, citing unnamed sources coming from a Microsoft sales meeting, the new version, which is currently known simply by "7", will once again be released in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.  The company also confirmed that it is considering a subscription model to complement Windows, but did not provide specifics or a time frame. Windows Vista was released over five years after the release of Windows XP but "7" will be a part of a more regular release schedule.

Windows 7 was previously known by the code name Vienna. A Microsoft representative confirmed that Windows 7 is the internal code name for the next client release of Windows. The details were released "as part of our ongoing outreach to enterprise customers and partners, Microsoft has begun sharing plans for how they will continue to deliver value to businesses in the future…Software Assurance customers in particular," a representative said in a statement via e-mail.