Windows 9 Rumored to be in Alpha Stage

News
By Kevin Parrish
published

Windows 9 will likely arrive in Q2 or Q3 2015.

Just days ago, document leaker FaiKee revealed that the preview version of Windows 9 would arrive either on February 3, 2015 or March 2, 2015. That seemed to coincide with the release schedule of Windows 8, which saw the current OS in a Consumer Preview build back in February 2012.

MyCE now adds to that report, using the same leaked document, but fewer edits. According to the info, Windows 9 is actually in an alpha state, and a Preview build will be released in Q2 or Q3 2015, not in February or March. The cloud-based Windows 365 is also supposedly in alpha and based on the Windows Core.

Office 2015 is listed as Alpha-TP-CP1 on the document, meaning Technical Preview and Consumer Preview 1, which indicates that the next Office could soon appear as a public preview. Also possibly appearing soon is Office 2013 Gemini, the Modern UI touch-based apps for the Office suite. These are listed as RTM and may launch in Summer 2014.

Also on the leaked document are "update items". These include changes to the modern UI interface, Windows Defender, Windows Activation, OneDrive and Cortana, the Digital Assistant making her debut on Windows Phone 8.1. Cortana will likely be embedded in Windows 9 as well, as Microsoft is currently looking for a software development engineer to help develop the next generation of Microsoft's Digital Assistant.

The leak also reveals that Windows 8.1 Update 2 is in the preview stage, meaning that customers could see the update in mid-2014. Previous reports have pegged the window between August and October: it's anyone's guess at this point (save for Microsoft). This update may bring back the Start Menu, which will combine the old-school listing with flashy new live tiles.

Finally, the leak shows that Windows Phone 8.1 has gone RTM (Release to Manufacturing). The document also shows that Windows Phone 9 will make an appearance in Q2 to Q3 2015. However, as always, take all this as rumor and speculation.

Kevin Parrish
31 Comments Comment from the forums
  • sunflier
    Normally, I'd gasp at the thought of another version of Windows so soon from Win8 release. But since Windows 8.x is such a huge FAIL at this point I won't balk. But if Windows 9 doesn't deliver and learn from Ballmer's mistakes (Vista/Win8/metro tiles) I feel like MS will end up falling from everyone's good graces. I usually defend MS but if Win9 is another MS mistake I may have to change my stance. We'll see...
    Reply
  • JD88
    So will it be a free upgrade to 8.x users?
    Reply
  • lostgamer_03
    Other IMPORTANT rumors:
    Windows 10 is in pre-alpha stage.
    Nvidia is producing a single slot QUAD SLI GT 610
    Apple is happy with people being inspired by them and stops suing other companies
    Michael Jackson never died
    Reply
  • bystander
    The most exciting thing about Windows 9 is DirectX 12. It promises to bring better multithreading and lower draw call overhead, to give a more Mantle like experience.
    Reply
  • masteroftheuniverse
    But if Windows 9 doesn't deliver and learn from Ballmer's mistakes (Vista/Win8/metro tiles) I feel like MS will end up falling from everyone's good graces.

    Seems to be the plan, from everything I've seen they are doubling down on all the stupid things nobody wants. I want a desktop OS that is debloated, fast, and has better media center and media converting abilities than 7, I could watch Cortana, Metro, their app store, mobile, and everything else go belly up and not give the slightest concern at all, nobody really wants these things at all besides a couple annoying and overly loud fringe customers.
    Reply
  • edogawa
    It feels a bit soon, but the Windows 8 name has been tainted with all the bad press.

    Windows 8 had a rocky start, and without a doubt there are issues to be resolved still, but it's a stable and fast operating system, and I have even have grown to semi-like metro(modern UI).

    In regards to Metro(Modern UI) There is a program called modern mix that lets you use Windows 8 apps as normal desktop applications, so now I can use Plex, Netflix, iheartradio apps easily while multi-tasking. I hope they improve the modern UI as it could actually be really awesome if done correctly.
    Reply
  • SteelCity1981
    I have a feeling that modern ui isn't going to go away when they stated that there will be changes to modern ui in windows 9. I just hope that means it's disabled automaticly for none touch screen displays.
    Reply
  • ultameca
    @SteelCity1981 I just hope your wrong, I want the new UI on the desktop, I use it everyday for work and every night for play. People who hate windows 8 are just afraid of change and it's people like that who hold our society behind. Windows 8 is the only thing bringing me back to windows...
    Reply
  • CaedenV
    Normally, I'd gasp at the thought of another version of Windows so soon from Win8 release. But since Windows 8.x is such a huge FAIL at this point I won't balk. But if Windows 9 doesn't deliver and learn from Ballmer's mistakes (Vista/Win8/metro tiles) I feel like MS will end up falling from everyone's good graces. I usually defend MS but if Win9 is another MS mistake I may have to change my stance. We'll see...
    Cry and moan about win8/Metro all that you want, but at least get your facts straight. Win8 has had a more successful life cycle than every other version of windows except for XP and 7, sure it was not exactly what they hoped for, but it was hardly a failure.
    As much as I am not a fan of Balmer, many of the issues with Office, Windows, and their absolutely glacial pace towards making changes to anything were due to other department heads. Lo and behold, Balmer started pushing things ahead and firing people and he was forced out of his position and now Nadella gets all of the credit. Again, I cringe just as much as anyone else when Balmer opens his mouth, but he took a lot of flack for things that were simply not his fault.
    The normal Windows release pace is 3 years. '95, '98, then a bit of a train wreck with ME/'00/XP all released back to back, then XP SP2 in '04 which everyone expected to be a new revision, then Vista in '07, Win7 in '09 (which was early after Vista bombed), Win8 in '12, and exactly 3 years later we are expecting Win9 in '15. There is no conspiracy, no cover up, outside of the odd merger and restructuring of ME/NT which resulted in XP, the only early release was Windows 7.
    Win9 Professional may bring a business option which will hopefully include a more traditional start menu and floating metro apps, but more likely than not the default view will just be a more mature Metro style interface, and I would almost bet that the standard/home edition will not have the start menu and floating app option because many people actually like it. Sure, you and I don't, but most of my family and neighbors like it just fine once they used it for a while.

    If the release of XB1 has taught us anything it is that MS listens to it's customers (or at least telemetry data). Not moving faster on making these changes to win8/9 is because the noisy people who continue throwing a fit about the Start Screen are in the minority... and I suspect a small minority at that.
    Reply
  • CaedenV
    I have a feeling that modern ui isn't going to go away when they stated that there will be changes to modern ui in windows 9. I just hope that means it's disabled automaticly for none touch screen displays.
    If you saw the extremely brief demo of the Metro Start Menu at the Build conference you would have noticed that it was worded as being an optional feature. I would almost bet that we will see a more mature Metro interface for everyone by default, and Professional customers (not standard/home) will have an option for the more traditional start menu and floating apps.
    Reply