Microsoft is on the Threshold of making a major announcement about its next operating system. Windows 9 is coming soon - and Microsoft is hoping that it gives users a warm, Windows 7 feeling inside.
According to a new report from Paul Thurrott, Windows 9 will arrive early in 2015. That's no surprise given that it's generally about three years between major releases. Windows 7 came out about 34 months after Vista. Windows 8 landed just four days after Windows 7's three-year anniversary.
Thurrott says that Microsoft is aiming for an April release, which would be about six months ahead of the established schedule. Windows 8 and 8.1 adoption remains disappointing, however, and the company wants to move forward more quickly this time around.
There will be three milestone releases throughout the final development period, which is due to kick off in the coming months. Expect an announcement about Windows 9 at Build 2014 in April.
Downloads will come later on. Thurrott says that any news at Build will focus on Microsoft's vision for Windows 9 - like how it's going to better serve users who are content to use the desktop but still want to install the occasional Metro app. They'll reportedly be able to run in windowed mode alongside your desktop apps in Windows 9, which will help minimize Windows 8?s sometimes-jarring dual UIs. Some form of Start Menu may make a comeback in Windows 9, too.
Microsoft is also working to overhaul the Metro/Modern design language. That may have something to do with platform unification. Don't forget, Microsoft is planning on having only two operating systems to maintain soon.
Presumably that means Windows RT and Windows Phone will merge, and Microsoft will want to make sure that it's easy for developers to code once and deploy everywhere. Very little has been said about this so far, but perhaps the Windows 9 announcements at Build will shed some light.
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