Microsoft has remained pretty secretive about exactly what will be going on during the press event on September 30 . Many hope that the Redmond tech giant will officially unveil Windows 9, the successor to the beleaguered Windows 8.1 operating system, touting features that perturbed users have been clamoring for since just after the latter’s launch.
Apparently Microsoft France President Alain Crozier forgot to keep that part secret. While speaking at a press event on Tuesday, Crozier confirmed that Microsoft will be unveiling Windows 9 next week . The leak was first spotted by WPCentral , with TechCrunch confirming the French translation was accurate .
The September 30 press event, according to Microsoft, is aimed at promoting the future of Windows, especially the technical and enterprise customers. The focus on “what’s next for Windows” left little doubt that Microsoft was planning to officially announce Windows 9, screenshots of which have been leaked numerous times in the past few weeks.
Rumors indicate that Windows 9 seeks to remedy the issues users had with Windows 8.1, namely the implementation of the tiled Start screen in lieu of a standard pop-up start menu. Microsoft argued that the Start screen was better for touchscreen devices, such as their Surface and Surface Pro tablets. The Windows 8.1 update addressed that concern, albeit to a very slight degree, by allowing users to boot directly to the desktop and by adding a start button to the familiar lower-left of the taskbar, although the button did little more than bring users to the Start screen.
Screenshots leaked online show a much more familiar Start menu with Metro UI buttons integrated within it. They also show the ability to run Metro apps in desktop windows, eliminating the need to ever go to the full Start screen again.
Rumors have also suggested that Microsoft is looking to ditch the numeric monikers of operating systems past, opting to drop the “9” from the name and simply embrace the title “Windows.” Crozier’s statement to the press seems to negate these rumors, although Microsoft is officially retracting his statement , telling ZDNet France that there isn’t an official name yet. Naysayers argue that with the event less than a week away, Microsoft must have the official title by now, but arguments to the contrary recall that Microsoft also announced the popular Kinect add-on for their Xbox 360 console under its code name, “Project Natal.”
What are your thoughts on the purported Windows 9 announcement? Would the rumored changes for Windows 9 be a boon to the technology super-company or a final nail in the system’s coffin? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
