Report claims that the Charms bar will live on in the Modern UI

Aug 18, 2014 15:15 GMT  ·  By

There are plenty of Windows 9 rumors these days, and even though Microsoft doesn’t wish to comment on any of them, there are lots of signs that the company is working to improve the desktop in the next Windows release.

A new report published by Neowin suggests that while the Charms bar is very likely to be removed from the desktop in Windows 9, there are signs that Microsoft wants to keep it in the Modern UI.

At this point, preview versions of Windows 9 include a button in the header bar that allows users to access the charms, but this could obviously change before the operating system hits the shelves. Microsoft could also require developers to adjust their apps in order to display the Charms bar button in a special location, depending on where the company decides to implement it.

Windows 9 is very likely to be launched in April 2015, sources close to the matter say, but a preview build could be released sometime next month or in early October. It appears that the existing testing versions of the operating system are no longer branded as “Windows 8.1 Pro,” but are instead wearing the Windows 9 Preview tag, which could be another sign that users could get the chance to try it out very soon.

Windows 9 could also bring a lot of new features, including a Start menu, a desktop version of Cortana, and options to run Metro apps directly on the desktop in their own windows.

The Start menu was supposed to see daylight in a Windows 8.1 update, but it appears that the company actually changed its mind and is willing to wait until Windows 9 to roll it out.

The company however might turn down to a little trick to keep its word, with sources indicating that Windows 9 might in the end become just another Windows 8.1 update, but in a completely different form.

Microsoft is currently pondering the possibility to offer Windows 9 free of charge to a number of users, including Windows 8.1, hence the possibility to consider it an update to the core modern operating system.

Unfortunately, Microsoft is still keeping all details secret, so nobody knows for sure whether this information is accurate or not. The preview build is expected to see daylight next month, so Microsoft is very likely to break the news on Windows 9 anytime soon.