Source says that OEMs and customers will get different builds of Windows 9 Preview

Aug 26, 2014 09:39 GMT  ·  By

Windows 9 is on the horizon and a preview build that’s going to be released to users next month will allow everyone to get a taste of what’s to come in the next full Microsoft operating system before the public launch.

Windows 9 Preview is expected to launch on September 30, according to people close to the matter, but it’s not yet clear whether all features that have until now been rumored to be part of the operating system are indeed planned to be part of this release.

A new rumor coming from WZor reveals that Microsoft is building separate builds of Windows 9 Preview for consumers and OEMs, which means that end users might not get the same features as partners that are selected to give a shot to this new operating system.

Of course, this makes sense at some level, and given the enhanced security that Microsoft has implemented in these testing builds, it’s very unlikely to get our hands on another leak that could provide us with access to more features.

According to people close to the matter, Windows 9 Preview could still bring a lot of novelties, starting with a revamped desktop and ending with the eagerly awaited Start menu that was expected to be introduced in another Windows 8.1 update.

At the same time, word is that Windows 9 Preview could be specifically aimed at enterprises, so some of the features that are expected to be introduced in the final product might not be available in the September build.

Microsoft however has prepared an update system that allows the company to ship new features to Windows 9 Preview whenever development is completed, so it doesn’t have to release new builds and ask users to perform another installation of the operating system.

Obviously, do not expect the company to make all features available before launch, but at least, Windows 9 Preview is going to be a really good opportunity to see what’s next for Windows users.

Another thing that’s worth mentioning is the freeware license of the Windows 9 Preview build, so everyone with a PC or tablet meeting system requirements would be allowed to install it at absolutely no cost.

At this point, these hardware requirements are yet to be disclosed, but sources close to the matter said that any Windows 8 device running the modern OS flawlessly should be able to cope with Windows 9’s demands as well.