Could Windows 9 Come This Year?

By Kevin Parrish
published

Windows leaker WZOR believes Windows 9 will arrive later this year.

Will Microsoft release Windows 9 in October, following the path it's taken with the release of Windows 7 and Windows 8? That seems to be the case thanks to insider information provided by Windows leaker WZOR who claims that Microsoft will release Windows 9 this fall.

That goes against everything we've heard about the Windows release schedule thus far. According to previous reports, Windows 8.1 will get an update, called GDR1, which will launch alongside Windows Phone 8.1 and the Surface Mini tablet this Spring during Microsoft's BUILD conference.

Sources claim that Microsoft will talk more about Windows 9 during that conference. Windows 9 was originally expected to be part of the "Threshold" release in Spring 2015 along with Windows Phone 9 and a new update for Xbox One that will connect it even more to the two other operating systems. By then, Windows RT is expected to be merged with Windows Phone.

Sources have also claimed that Microsoft is trying to distance itself from Windows 8 much like it has done with Windows RT (notice Surface 2 doesn't sport the RT name). If that is indeed the case, Microsoft could very well be shooting for an October release, and will launch Windows 9.1 during Spring 2015 instead.

So what's in store for the Windows 8.1 GDR1 update in mere months? That's unknown for now save for insider reports of performance and feature improvements. There seems to be no additional details regarding a possible October launch for Windows 9 either, but it certainly isn't out of the question. That said, take all of this with a grain of salt, as it's speculation and rumor until Microsoft takes the stage at BUILD 2014 this April.

Kevin Parrish
67 Comments Comment from the forums
  • p05esto
    They better hurry....and they better get some people with common sense and a pulse of what power users actually want. WINDOWS is for people doing real work. If you want to play Angry Birds and check your f-ing email at Starbucks then buy a Mac... 99% of professionals don't want that shittttty Metro interface and all that touch/social crap when they are getting down to work for 12 hours a day flying through 20 different apps, most open at the same time. We want lean and mean and have the ability to customize and do what we've been doing for 20 years on Windows. There's a reason Microsoft has 80% of the desktops worldwide.... they are only slipping the last few years because they keep dumbing it down and making it look more like Apple. The more you do that the more unclear the choice becomes between windows/ios. Microsoft HIRE me, I can fix up ALL of your BS in about 10 days. Seriously.
    Reply
  • b23h
    I see a potential dilemma in Microsoft distancing themselves from Windows 8. The issue is for me, if Windows 9 still features Live Tiles and Metro then there's no point in distancing oneself from Windows 8. I am not saying this because I think it is important to distance from Windows 8 or that Live Tiles and Metro are flawed, but only from a design viewpoint there's no point in running away from "what you are."Many people here want Metro to be separated from Windows 8 and feel there should be a non-Metro version. I disagree and think that would be highly inappropriate for Microsoft to do. But again, calling something Windows 9, that continues in the Windows 8 continuum of design decisions, is like bringing back a Start Button that does not include a Start Menu, a half step that solves nothing....
    Reply
  • southernshark
    They better hurry....and they better get some people with common sense and a pulse of what power users actually want. WINDOWS is for people doing real work. If you want to play Angry Birds and check your f-ing email at Starbucks then buy a Mac... 99% of professionals don't want that shittttty Metro interface and all that touch/social crap when they are getting down to work for 12 hours a day flying through 20 different apps, most open at the same time. We want lean and mean and have the ability to customize and do what we've been doing for 20 years on Windows. There's a reason Microsoft has 80% of the desktops worldwide.... they are only slipping the last few years because they keep dumbing it down and making it look more like Apple. The more you do that the more unclear the choice becomes between windows/ios. Microsoft HIRE me, I can fix up ALL of your BS in about 10 days. Seriously.
    Good points. I've not minded W8.1 that much, but seriously when I go to do something and it tries to drag me back into the MS world, such as wanting me to Skype using my Windows account, I become very annoyed.
    Reply
  • ipwn3r456
    If Windows 9 doesn't change, I might go ahead and try linux instead...
    Reply
  • Cryio
    2012: Windows 8

    2013: Windows 8.1 (as SP update)

    2014: Windows 8.1 GDR1 (as SP to a SP)

    2014: Windows 92015: Windows 9.1 (in April o_O)

    Yeah, because that would make sense.
    Reply
  • Darkerson
    Id much rather they put out Windows 8.2 release and do what they say they are planning for Windows 9 that way, such as running Metro in a window and bringing back a fully functioning start menu, since thats what a lot of people seem to want.

    IMHO, Its way too soon to be dropping another god damn major release. They need to try and show some good will and humility towards everyone they angered and alienated with Windows 8, but if they go about making people pay for that, its only going to piss them off even more...
    Reply
  • mwearl
    "If you want to play Angry Birds and check your f-ing email at Starbucks then buy a Mac..." That is pure crap. I do a ton of work from my Mac. I just do it without involving Microsoft. Open Office, Drop Box, Evernote and Firefox is all I need to conduct most of my daily tasks. And by the way, Windows 8 looks nothing like MacOS, nor does it behave like it.
    Reply
  • freshstart222
    I hope they reissue Windows 7 since Windows 8 just doesn't do it for me.
    Reply
  • SteelCity1981
    how about coming out with a windows 7 service pack 2 update for god sakes. the problem with Microsoft is pushing out new os's every other year will actually slow sales of those new os's, people aren't just going to buy a new os because one comes out, esp every other year. windows xp has been a prime example of that it still has 34% of market share and it's over 12 years old! same is going to happen with many windows 7 users. many businesses and home users just recently updated to windows 7 within the past couple of years, they aren't in any rush to upgrade to a new os Windows 8 just came out a little over a year ago, and now they want to come out with a new os at the end of this year if this rumor is true? makes no sense to release an os this soon esp when you have been pushing windows 8 by coming out with windows 8.1 which is now finally starting to give windows 8 some traction, just to end up pulling the plug and go nope lets just come out with windows 9 and do everything we could have done in windows 8.2, like a start menu, enable aero glass function and a way to disable metro, you don't need a new os for things as simple as that. Microsoft can turn windows 8 around by adding those features in the next windows update and call it Windows 8SE and all will be well.
    Reply
  • therealduckofdeath
    SteelCity1981 The reason they want to keep a steady update interval is simply because no one wants the gigantic compatibility issues Windows XP eventually created, by living on for too long. Those problems has caused a lot of enterprises to still having to run Windows XP. The problem is that hardware is becoming less and less compatible with that old operating system every year.
    Reply