Windows 9 'Threshold' Rumour Mill

Microsoft has spent the last two years
cleaning up the mess caused by the release of Windows 8, a widely panned
operating system that's endured slow sales and a
general downturn of the PC market. In response, the
company is struggling to replace Windows 8 with a
new operating system which, unsurprisingly, will likely be
named Windows 9. While no concrete information has
been released, leaked rumors provide some indication
of where Microsoft is headed with its next operating
system.
Cross-platform app compatibility
App compatibility among Windows platforms is likely to
be a key feature of Microsoft's new operating system.
The company wants developers to be able to create
a single app and port it between Windows 9, RT,
Windows Phone and the Xbox One with ease.
Microsoft hinted at this during the last BUILD
conference by suggesting that developers will be able
to use tools for Windows apps to create Xbox One
apps, and this could be expanded upon during the
company's April 2014 event.
Rumors indicate that Microsoft will attack cross-
platform compatibility with a three-pronged initiative in
which Windows is tailored to the primary input used
with a device; mouse-first, touch-first, or voice first.
Mouse-first will be the traditional desktop/laptop
experience, touch-first will be for smartphones and
tablets, and voice-first will be for large-screen
devices like televisions and, of course, devices that
connect to a television (like the Xbox One).
This approach would make sense, considering
Microsoft's confusing array of platforms as well as the
lack of apps. With that said, the devil is clearly in
the details. Windows 8 proved that designing an
operating system across multiple platforms is not easy,
and the particulars of the interface and the
development tools will make the difference between
success and failure.
Native gestures
Another way for Microsoft to enable support for
multiple devices would be the introduction of gesture
recognition. This, of course, is within the company's
area of expertise, as Kinect has provided plenty of
experience.
Adding built-in gesture support would make sense
given that Intel is heavily pushing the technology, and
that Microsoft has its own Kinect sensor to sell. The
gesture control technology that we've used so far
has not convinced us that it's useful, however, and
we're not sure what Microsoft could do to change
our minds. The Kinect sensor may have the resolution
and processing power needed to provide a better
experience than other products, but it's also rather
expensive. We don't think anyone would pay $100 to
add gesture support to their PC.
Of course, it's possible that Microsoft will simply add
developer tools for gestures and leave it up to
hardware and software companies to figure out the
details themselves. While this wouldn't give the company
a chance to leverage Kinect, it would pass
responsibility of developing the technology onto others.
That may be necessary given the broad range of
devices that Windows needs to support.
A new Start…menu
Microsoft is likely to continue back-pedaling on its
decision to remove the Start menu on mouse-first
devices. Windows 8.1 brought the Start button back,
but only added a new “Apps View,” which is essentially
a Metro-fied launch screen. Now, with Windows 9,
the company may completely reverse its earlier removal
with a new, re-designed Start menu (which may or
may not debut under that name).
What will it look like, and what will it do? No one but
Microsoft knows. With that said, what little information
has leaked suggests that it will not be a carbon
copy of the old Start menu, or an expansion on the
App View. Instead, it will be a new approach that re-
thinks the Start menu for the realities and capabilities
of modern systems. We think that's likely to mean a
greater reliance on Windows search, integration of
web search, and the potential for significant
customization.
More Metro, everywhere
Don't get your hopes up for Microsoft abandoning the
Metro design. While it hasn't gone over well on the
desktop, it has worked everywhere else, and it's key
to the company's goal of making Windows a cross-
platform operating system.
This means the development of new Metro interface
features. What will they be? That's unknown. We can
guess that they'll focus on the evolution of features
like multi-tasking, desktop search and the Charms bar,
but such changes would hardly be Earth-shattering.
There is one concrete change rumored; the
introduction of Metro apps to the desktop . Currently,
Metro apps cannot run on the desktop, a trait that's
particularly frustrating on desktops with large, high-
resolution displays. Windows 9 could fix that flaw. If
true, it would give desktop owners a reason to check
out the Windows Store, a place most PC enthusiasts
avoid at all costs.
Conclusion
Current rumors indicate that Windows 9 is scheduled
for release in April of 2015 . If that's true, new
information could be revealed at this week's BUILD
festivities – but, with the OS still a year out, the
reveals are likely to be about vague, big-picture ideas
rather than specific features. We'll probably hear
about how Windows 9 will be easy to develop for, how
it'll promote cross-platform apps, and how it'll make
touch better while also improving the desktop for
users who just want a keyboard and mouse.
Whatever Microsoft says, it needs to make an
impression. Windows 8 has flopped, damaging both the
company and the PC market as a whole. Major
changes are needed, and they were needed
yesterday; there's no more time for Microsoft to sit
on its hands.