14 DAY TRIAL // Windows XP was officially retired on April 8, the same day when Microsoft brought the new Windows 8.1 Update to life, a refreshed version of the original Windows 8.1 that comes with plenty of improvements to the traditional PC.
Microsoft has worked a lot to improve Windows 8.1 with the first update and the company is also planning to release another one sometime this year in a similar effort to make the operating system a little bit more helpful on the PC and for those still relying on a mouse and keyboard as the main input method.
Since Windows XP is no longer receiving patches and Windows 8.1 is a little bit disappointing for some, pretty much because it still lacks the familiar interface they had in Windows 7, almost everyone is looking forward Windows 9, the next full Windows release that's expected to debut in early 2015.
Not much is known about Windows 9, but users clearly want it to repair some of the errors it made in Windows 8 and make the operating system more appropriate for the traditional PC.
In Windows 8, Microsoft was particularly focused on tweaking the operating system in such a way that it would work on tablets and touch-capable devices too, so some say that the company neglected the PC a little bit too much.
The Start menu will return in the second Windows 8.1 update due this year, so Windows 9 will definitely have it as well, but some of our users told us on several occasions that more customization power would be helpful, especially for those a bit more experienced.
While that's very unlikely, especially because Microsoft has pretty much stayed with the same customization options like forever, Windows 9 could bring a few changes here and there in order to allow you to personalize the operating system easier.
Of course, Windows 9 will continue to be focused on touch-capable devices, including tablets, so the Modern UI will also get quite a lot of improvements, some of which are very likely to be aimed not only at touch units, but also at the traditional PC that still relies on a mouse and keyboard.
According to some leaked information that reached the web lately, Windows 9 could see daylight sometime in early 2015, but Microsoft has remained completely tight-lipped on the project until now. A preview version of the operating system, specifically launched for developers, could be announced in February 2015, only a few months before the product hits RTM.