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Rumor: Windows 9 tech preview coming late September

Rumor: Windows 9 tech preview coming late September
Lewis Leong

Lewis Leong

  • Updated:

The first public look at Windows 9 “Threshold” will be released in late September or early October, according to unnamed sources. The preview will be available to the public to try. This rumor comes from Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet, who has been an accurate source of information on other Windows rumors in the past.

The next version of Windows, code named “Threshold” is expected to be named Windows 9 when it is released. Most of the work has concentrated around making the operating system desktop friendly. Windows 8 was largely criticized for being too touch-focused, alienating desktop users with awkward mouse and keyboard controls.

We expect to see a redesigned Start Menu that looks like a hybrid of Windows 7 and 8. You will be able to pin Modern-UI apps to the Start Menu.

We also expect to see the Charms Bar being redesigned or removed completely. The bar in its current form is awkward to get to, requiring users to move their mouse cursors to the top or bottom right of the screen. Many Modern-UI applications require use of the Charms Bar so Microsoft may not be able to get rid of it completely.

Microsoft’s digital voice assistant Cortana will also make it to the next version of Windows. The company is working hard to make Cortana part of the operating system instead of an app a user has to launch. This means you could be talking to your computer to perform tasks in the near future. Microsoft will beat Apple to the punch by offering a digital voice assistant in its desktop operating system. Siri is noticeably absent from OS X Yosemite, Apple’s upcoming update for its Macs.

Source: ZDNet

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Lewis Leong

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