14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 9 Preview is scheduled to be unveiled later this month, and although Microsoft hasn’t provided any details on its feature lineup, reports keep coming to let us have a glimpse into the new options that could be part of this operating system.
Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley is reporting via unnamed sources that the technical preview of Windows 9 due on September 30 could come with optional monthly updates, which means that not everyone will be forced to install the new improvements released by the company.
Redmond obviously hopes that more would opt for installing this updates, and those who do will get improvements based on their needs.
Although it might sound a little bit complicated at first, it appears that Microsoft is trying to divide its consumer base into user subsets in order to deliver feature improvements according to the tasks they are performing on their computers. As a result, some users might get some specific features on Windows 9 Preview, while others could get some completely different tools, as it all depends on their activity between two certain moments.
While this might raise some privacy concerns given the fact that Windows 9 Preview would pretty much collect information regarding your activity and let Microsoft analyze the data, it appears, however, that this approach would only be used for the preview build of Windows 9, as Microsoft is planning to compare different versions of the operating system on as many devices as possible in order to determine the best configuration.
Windows 9 Preview might launch without some of the features that have been rumored lately, so you might not see the Start menu when this version goes live. And still, Microsoft is expected to add new features to this testing build as it completes their development.
For example, the company is very likely to introduce a desktop version of the personal assistant Cortana at some point in the coming months, but it’s not yet clear whether the company is planning to allow everyone to try out this feature or it could only make it available to a small number of users.
Windows 9 could launch in April 2015, with RTM to be reached early next year, most likely in February. People close to the matter said that Windows 9 might even be offered free of charge to a number of users, including those running Windows 8.1.