14 DAY TRIAL // Everyone knows that Windows 9 is coming, and although Microsoft is trying to maintain the secrecy around this project, it appears that the company is ready to start the typical teasing process that usually takes place before the launch of a major new product.
This time, the company posted a short teaser on its Chinese website saying that “the new Windows 9 from Microsoft is about to be released, so make a guess, will the Start menu be included or not?”
The message has already been removed from Microsoft’s account, but according to Twitter user @h0x0d, it was published on the company’s official Weibo (a local Twitter version) profile.
No matter if it’s fake or not, it’s really easy to decrypt the message. The poster most likely refers to the preview build of Windows 9, which is expected to see daylight this month, even though the company hasn’t said anything until now.
People close to the matter claim that this Windows 9 testing build might be specifically aimed at enterprises, so there’s a debate going on online right now whether this preview could come or not with a Start menu.
Microsoft apparently is trying to fuel these rumors with its short post, even though everyone knows that the Start menu is going to be part of Windows 9 at some point, no matter if it’s included in the preview or not.
As far as other features are concerned, Windows 9 is expected to come with multiple desktops, a feature that has been requested by users for years. A desktop version of personal assistant Cortana is also expected to be introduced, and so are options to run Metro apps right on the desktop.
The biggest change in Windows 9 could be the freeware license, which might allow users of previous Windows versions to install the new operating system at absolutely no cost. The biggest enigma right now concerns the Windows versions that could benefit from this offer, with some sources saying that Windows 8.1 computers are very likely to get it.
Others, however, claim that Windows XP and Windows 7 users could also get a special discount for Windows 9, and even though a freeware license might not be part of the package, a very affordable upgrade is likely to be offered.
As you can see, there are a lot of uncertain details right now, so let’s just wait a few more weeks to find out what’s really coming in Windows 9 and what’s not.
Update: the photo that Microsoft included in the post is not the official Windows 9 logo, but only a concept created by a third-party designer a few months ago.