14 DAY TRIAL // The next major iteration of Windows Live clients and Cloud services is currently in the Milestone 2 (M2) phase of the development process, reportedly. Just as it was the case with Windows Live Wave 4, which was intimately connected with Windows 7, Windows Live Wave 5 is being built for the next version of Windows.
Both Windows Live Wave 5 and Windows 8 are being developed by teams coordinated by Steven Sinofsky, President, Windows and Windows Live Division.
While Windows 8 is in M3 and currently making its way toward the first Beta Build, two different sources, WinBeta and LiveSide, claim that Windows Live Wave 5 is in M2.
It should not be any real surprise that Windows Live Wave 5 and Windows 8 are joined at the hip, since both projects are developed under the same division, and with their predecessors all playing nice with one another.
It appears that versioning for Windows Live Wave 5 starts somewhere at 16.2, but of course, there’s no official word from Microsoft on the matter.
In fact, even though the software giant did talk a bit about Windows 8, it has yet to offer any juicy details about Windows Live Wave 5.
Previously leaked Builds of Windows 8 revealed that Windows Live Wave 5 will be closely integrated into Windows 8 in a variety of ways.
Windows Live IDs will be leveraged for Windows 8 User Connected Accounts with roaming capabilities. But at the same time, Windows 8 will stretch into the Cloud and feature synchronization and online storage powered most likely by Windows Live Mesh Wave 5 and Windows Live SkyDrive Wave 5.
Personally, I expect the Windows Live Wave 5 and Windows 8 marriage to go deeper than Cloud storage and synching, and to cover additional Windows Live clients, including Messenger, Mail, Photo Gallery, etc.
I’m also willing to bet that next generation Windows Live Wave 5 applications will be tailored to next generation Windows 8 form factors, down to the platform’s NUI (natural user interface).