Is Windows 9 Going into Preview in Spring 2015?
You have to give Microsoft credit: they just keep on moving along, whether users are ready or not. Despite not having much in the way of widespread adoption for Windows 8, signs are pointing to a schedule shaping up for the release of its successor, the aptly named Windows 9. New information today points to a plan to preview the company’s newest iteration of its flagship OS in spring of 2015.
A post on Neowin today points back to a rumor that Microsoft has a plan to offer a public beta of Windows 9 in early 2015, with a release to follow later that year, around August or September. The source of this information, apparently, comes from a post by Russian hacker group, WZOR. That site claims to have the inside scoop on all things Microsoft, but of course, take all of this as speculation and rumor.
Even still, we’ve been hearing snatches of information regarding Microsoft’s plans for Windows 9 for some time now. A spring release jives with what we’ve seen before, so be on the lookout for official hints coming from Microsoft as 2014 goes on.
Now, the real question is why bring out Windows 9 when Windows 8 is still in its relative infancy? Essentially, Microsoft knows that Windows 8 is, for all intents and purposes, not a success. It’s committed to fixing it up for its current install-base, but like Windows Vista before it, Windows 8 is basically a lost cause. The fact that so many users are still hooked on XP and Windows 7 shows that you can probably feel safe in skipping every other OS from Microsoft.
That’s because operating systems like Vista and 8 take chances, and screw things up. Microsoft learns from those mistakes, apologizes, dusts itself off, and moves onto the next OS with a better understanding of what will work and what won’t. That’s not a great way to upgrade an OS, but if nothing else, you can’t deny that Windows 7 was a vast improvement over its predecessors. I wouldn’t be surprised if Windows 9 managed to actually fix the mess left by Windows 8. I’ve got my fingers crossed…
[Source: Neowin]