14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 9 is Microsoft’s next big release on the OS market, with people close to the development matter saying that the public launch could take place as soon as early 2015.
Of course, consumers expect Windows 9 to come with a plethora of improvements, including new options for the taskbar, but also with a refreshed look that would make the whole operating system a bit more appealing as far as the user interface goes.
A concept published on DeviantArt by RMNSkin imagines a potential look of the Metro UI for Windows Media Player in Windows 9, which is just another indication that users expect the software giant to make some dramatic improvements to the final look of the platform.
While Windows Media Player does not come with a Metro port, and it’s unlikely to get one in Windows 9, this concept is much more appropriate for Xbox Music, the default music player available in Microsoft’s modern OS that allows users to listen to their favorite songs right in the Metro UI.
As you can see in this concept, Metro apps are very likely to come with options that would allow them to be launched straight on the desktop in Windows 9, which means that Microsoft would work to merge the two environments and give the Modern UI another chance to succeed.
The first step is already being made with Windows 8.1 Update 1, a major pack of improvements for Windows 8.1 that’s expected to debut early next month.
Windows 8.1 Update 1 already brings Metro apps on the desktop, but only with separate windows holding close button for mouse users, as well as with options to pin them to the taskbar and thus launch specific Modern apps without first accessing the Start screen.
Windows 9, on the other hand, is expected to bring many more improvements, including a Start menu that would make the entire operating system look a bit more like Windows 7 and thus become more user-friendly and familiar for all adopters.
As you can see, not much is known at this point, but Microsoft is expected to break the news on Windows 9 next month at the BUILD developer conference. Work on Windows 9 is reportedly scheduled to begin in late April, which means that Redmond would need approximately one year to complete the development process of the next full Windows release and bring it to the market.