Microsoft is already revealing details about its next Windows versions and updates, with an update 1 for Windows 8.1 already in the works. We also get some info on Windows 9 and a supposed April 2015 launch.
Windows watcher Paul Thurrott is the authority in the field and claims that MS has established a Threshold wave of updates. The company will unveil its vision for Windows 9 at this year’s Build conference for developers in April. Then they’ll start working on it and reveal it next year. The Windows 9 branding will get rid of the Win 8 bad juju and move away from its vision, through a new one.
Apparently, that involves a so called Metro 2.0 UI, the return of the Start Menu and maybe even a separation of Metro style apps that will float someplace else than the desktop apps. The Start menu may actually return earlier than April 2015, by the way. The main vision here is to created a hybrid tablet and desktop operating system, but Windows 8 is seen by many as this generation’s Vista, so there’s a lot of work to do.
