14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 9 is the next big thing coming out of Redmond and people familiar with the matter suggested that Microsoft is preparing some pretty big changes for users who want to make the move to this new OS version.
The company is working on an upgrading system that would involve the last Windows 8.1 update to be released in early 2015, which in addition to bringing quite a lot of improvements for 8.1 users, it would also be supposed to pave the road for the new Windows 9.
But what's more important is that Windows 8.1 Update 3, which could be the third update for Windows 8.1 prepared for launch just before the debut of Windows 9, might actually come with two different licensing options to help Microsoft boost the adoption of its next full Windows version.
Word is that Windows 8.1 Update 3 will come with two different options: free for users who will be running Windows 8.1 Update 2 and with a small fee for Windows 8, Windows 8.1, 8.1 Update and also 8.1 Update 2 computers.
The whole idea behind this new approach is as simple as it could be innovative.
First of all, Microsoft is making the update free for Windows 8.1 Update 2 devices in order to keep them completely up-to-date and allow users to get all improvements on their computers at no additional charge.
On the other hand, the same Update 3 will come with new license keys that would allow any Windows user to install this particular OS version directly, without the need for deploying Windows 8 or any other update pack.
Those who purchase such a license key might be allowed to upgrade to Windows 9 completely free of charge, while everyone else would have to purchase the operating system as it was the case with all the other OS versions released by Microsoft.
Windows 9 would thus play a key role in Microsoft rebounding strategy, as it wants users to finally give a try to its modern platform and get over the controversial Windows 8 that caused so many problems in the very first months on the market.
Windows 9 would arrive on the market at approximately two years and a half after Windows 8, which means that the OS version launched in October 2012 won't have much time to boost its market share.
On the other hand, the biggest challenge will still be Windows 7, which is now the world's number one operating system running on more than 50 percent of the world's desktop computers. Microsoft hopes that Windows 9 would actually convince Windows 7 users to upgrade too, although that's unlikely to happen given the fact that many companies and users are only now switching from Windows XP to Windows 7.