Microsoft will reportedly use its BUILD 2014 conference in April to release Windows 8.1 Update 1 and announce Windows 9, codenamed 'Threshold'.
'Threshold' is said to feature the ability to run Metro/Modern apps on the desktop and bring the return of the Start menu. Paul Thurrott of Winsupersite says that "Windows 8 is tanking harder than Microsoft is comfortable discussing in public, and the latest release, Windows 8.1, which is a substantial and free upgrade with major improvements over the original release, is in use on less than 25 million PCs at the moment. That's a disaster, and Threshold needs to strike a better balance between meeting the needs of over a billion traditional PC users while enticing users to adopt this new Windows on new types of personal computing devices."
Thurrott reports the following details about the new operating system:
● Windows 9. To distance itself from Windows 8, Microsoft will likely brand the new release as Windows 9.
● BUILD vision announcement. Microsoft will use its BUILD conference to announce the 'vision' for Windows 9.
● No bits at BUILD. Microsoft won't offer an alpha release of Windows 9 at BUILD since it won't even begin development until later that month.
● Metro 2.0. Maturing and fixing the "Metro" design language used by Windows will be a major focus area of Threshold. A windowed mode will likely be added.
● Three milestones. Microsoft expects to deliver three milestone releases of "Threshold" before its final release.
● April 2015 release. Microsoft is targeting April 2015 for the release of Windows 9.
More details at the link below...
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