When can I get a copy of WHS – Suppliers keep giving us different dates of release?

Todd Headrick part of the Windows Home Server Team has the answer:

With a version 1 product in a new product category, it takes awhile for System Builders to get it on their radar and order the product. Once an order is placed through a distributor, then the distributor has to get the part number in their systems and place an order with an Authorized Replicator (AR), the discs get manufactured by an Authorized Disk Duplicator. And the manuals get printed by yet another company.

In smaller countries, these companies may be one in the same or in very close proximity to one another. In larger geographies, there are many companies involved and there is transit time. The manuals get printed in Canada, the disks get built in Mexico and the whole assembly is put together in Puerto Rico. And getting back to the first point, it all starts by a System Builder placing an order.

After a new product gets added to everybody’s systems, then new releases and versions are easy (and quicker) to deal with.

Some companies also put the information on their web sites to start taking pre-orders. Other companies set-up the pages and track the number of times the web page is viewed to determine interest. Some system builders don’t like to carry any inventory and will only order from their distributor when they get 10 orders in their system.

So Microsoft is doing nothing to delay the shipments, it is down to the way the OEM chain operates and some distributor’s in some countries are getting them out quicker (or not) than others.

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