A Windows 9 release date will be held in April 2015 following the operating system’s first formal unveiling at the Build conference later this year, new reports have suggested.
Although Microsoft’s Build 2014 developer conference has been tipped to see the company outline its plans for a Windows 9 release, the next-generation operating system will not reportedly be rolled out to consumers for a little over 14 months.
Although Microsoft is known to be plotting a new point-1 Windows 8 update release for the near future, the Windows 9 platform is said to already be in the works under the codename “Threshold.”
According to well-known Windows reporter Paul Thurrott, a selection of unnamed insider sources have reported that a Windows 9 release date is on the cards for early 2015 as the company looks to build on its latest cross-platform software.
With the Windows 8 platform having failed to gain the consumer traction and critical acclaim that Microsoft had been hoping for, company insiders have reported a Windows 9 release date has been pushed forward to stem the low usage figures.
“To distance itself from the Windows 8 debacle, Microsoft is currently planning to drop the Windows 8 name and brand this next release as Windows 9,” Thurrott reported.
Although exact Windows 9 features are still up in the air, Thurrott has cited sources in suggesting the Windows 8 introduced ‘Metro’ UI will remain a prominent feature.
“Maturing and fixing the "Metro" design language used by Windows will be a major focus area of Threshold,” he said. “It's not clear what changes are coming, but it's safe to assume that a windowed mode that works on the desktop is part of that.”
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