http://www.neowin.net/index.php?act=view&id=37165
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Internet-Explorer-8-0-44304.shtml
Now, assuming the above is all concrete fact, let’s hit some speculation. Microsoft may not release Internet Explorer 7.x and will go straight to version 8; an alpha version of 8.0 is already an internal release in Redmond. At MIX 06, Bill Gates announced that IE releases would be between 9 and 12 months apart and recently at CES 2007, Microsoft confirmed that the development of Internet Explorer 8.0 had already debuted. Great right? No, not so great. A Microsoft representative at CES 2007 said they expected a period of 18 to 24 months until Internet Explorer 8.0 hits the market. ActiveWin.com is reporting the exact same thing.
Internet Explorer 8.0 in the works
Posted by Emil Protalinski on 15 January 2007