ColonelHardisson
What? Me Worry?
I think the thing is if it is 5e being released in September, then an open play test that starts in late May is really more of an open preview, not test. There simply isn't enough time to take the feedback from an open playtest, tweak the rules, test the tweaked rules and then make them fit for publishing and turn the book over to the printer in time for a September release.
A four month open play test with a release sometime in 2013 would work fine.
Yeah, I get that now, it just wasn't clear that was the sticking point when I posted. I've been going under the assumption that Next would appear in 2013, probably at GenCon, given that WotC seems to have refocused on that con.