14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 9 is work in progress at Microsoft and screenshots reaching the web these days come to confirm that the next full version of Redmond’s flagship operating system is very likely to come with pretty big changes on the desktop.
As we’ve reported to you earlier today, a screenshot that got leaked from a testing build of Windows 9 shows the Start menu in action, as Microsoft is expected to bring this feature back in the next Windows release.
At the BUILD 2014 developer conference in April, Microsoft revealed a screenshot with the new Start menu, confirming that a future Windows build would come with such a feature. At the same time, it also indicated that the desktop would be further upgraded with options to run Metro apps in their very own windows, just like it’s the case with traditional Windows software.
A new screenshot that reached the web today confirms that Windows 9 could bring with options to run Metro apps on the desktop, suggesting that this feature is already part of an existing testing build of the operating system.
As you can see for yourselves in this screenshot, the Windows Store app is the one launched in a dedicated window on the desktop, with the title bar replicating the one available in legacy software running on the desktop.
Microsoft clearly wants to merge the Modern and the desktop environments, so it’s working to make all apps run in their own windows on the desktop, with fewer differences in terms of looks likely to be planned.
Bringing Metro apps on the desktop is pretty much Microsoft’s last attempt to make its touch-optimized environment a bit more popular among PC users, especially because such a feature would enable them to control running programs with a mouse and keyboard, just like they normally do with legacy Windows applications.
Just like it’s the case with all the other rumors that reach the web these days, you should take everything with a pinch of salt, especially because Microsoft is trying to keep everything secret until Windows 9 development reaches a more advanced stage.
According to rumors, Windows 9 should hit the market in early 2015 if the development process works as planned, with some beta builds to be released to users before the public launch. More on this new OS version is very likely to surface later this year and we promise to keep you fully up to date with new information.