I'd call "early 2009" the first third. "Mid 2009" would be the middle third, and "late 2009" would be the last third, plus or minus a month. So, early 2009, to me, means anywhere between January and May. Mid 2009 would then be anywhere between April and September, and Late 2009 would be August through December. That's how I see it.
And, also, there are events that can come up in peoples lives that change their plans. The developers have no obligation to release any future versions, anyway.