14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 8 is quite a new operating system and even if it hit the market in October, Microsoft is already working on two major upgrades.
The first of them is reportedly called Windows Blue and may arrive as soon as this summer in the form of a Windows 8 upgrade available at absolutely no cost, while the second is the full Windows 8 successor, apparently baptized Windows 9.
As usual, Microsoft doesn’t talk on its future projects, so there’s no confirmation on this, but sources familiar with the matter claim that Windows 9 will most likely see daylight next year.
According to a recent report, Microsoft would release the first Windows 9 beta version on January 7, 2014, while the first release candidate may see daylight in July 2014.
If everything goes according to the plan, Windows 9 RTM could be finalized in October 2014, while the public release would take place in November.
If this is true, Windows 9 would arrive at approximately two years after its predecessor, but with a major upgrade rolled out between the two releases.
As far as the Windows 9 features go, sources familiar with the matter suggest that Microsoft won’t bring back the Start button, but instead, it would focus on developing the Start Screen and adding more configuration options.
As a result, third-party Start menu apps would be users’ only chance to make Windows a more familiar working environment, but Microsoft expects all consumers to get used to the Start Screen by the time Windows 9 hits the market.
As we said, these are all rumors, so we should take them with a grain of salt until Microsoft steps in front of the media and says something about the Windows 8 successor. The good news is that work has already started on Windows 9, so it’s just a matter of time until we hear more about it.