If anyone questioned whether Windows 8 was a failure in the marketplace, you can stop questioning. Word is floating around the Internet that “Threshold”, AKA Windows 9 is already under development. Here’s what Paul Thurrott had to say:
Windows 9. To distance itself from the Windows 8 debacle, Microsoft is currently planning to drop the Windows 8 name and brand this next release as Windows 9. That could change, but that’s the current thinking.
BUILD vision announcement. In case it’s not obvious that the [former President of the Windows Division Steven] Sinofsky era is over, Microsoft will use BUILD to provide its first major “vision” announcement for Windows since, yes, Longhorn in 2003. Don’t expect anything that grandiose, but the Windows team believes it needs to hit a happy middle ground between the KGB-style secrecy of the Sinofsky camp and the freewheeling “we can do it all” days that preceded that. As important, the firm understands that customers need something to be excited about.
No bits at BUILD. Microsoft will not be providing developers with an early alpha release of “Threshold” at BUILD, and for a good reason: The product won’t even begin development until later that month. Right now, Microsoft is firming up which features it intends to deliver in this release.
Metro 2.0. Maturing and fixing the “Metro” design language used by Windows will be a major focus area of Threshold. It’s not clear what changes are coming, but it’s safe to assume that a windowed mode that works on the desktop is part of that.
Three milestones. Microsoft expects to deliver three milestone releases of “Threshold” before its final release. It’s unclear what these releases will be called (Beta, Release Candidate, etc.) or which if any will be provided to the public.
April 2015 release. Microsoft is currently targeting April 2015 for the release of Windows 9 “Threshold.”
Some clarification is required here:
- Longhorn was the OS “vision” that eventually became Windows Vista.
- BUILD is the annual Microsoft Developers conference. Early versions of future products often get into the hands of developers here.
The last time Microsoft did something like this was with Windows 7 to bury the Windows Vista gong show. It is also interesting that Microsoft is not going to abandon the Metro user interface seeing as it’s created it’s fair share of grief for the company. I’m guessing that they think they can evolve it into something people will like. Finally, it’s interesting that Microsoft is doing this with no leader at the helm seeing as Steve Ballmer is retiring and is basically a lame duck at this point. That is a big risk. Clearly they feel they have no other choice. One thing is clear, Microsoft would not be this aggressive if Windows 8 wasn’t a failure in the marketplace.
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This entry was posted on January 13, 2014 at 1:37 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags Microsoft. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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It’s Official. Windows 8 Is a #Fail
If anyone questioned whether Windows 8 was a failure in the marketplace, you can stop questioning. Word is floating around the Internet that “Threshold”, AKA Windows 9 is already under development. Here’s what Paul Thurrott had to say:
Windows 9. To distance itself from the Windows 8 debacle, Microsoft is currently planning to drop the Windows 8 name and brand this next release as Windows 9. That could change, but that’s the current thinking.
BUILD vision announcement. In case it’s not obvious that the [former President of the Windows Division Steven] Sinofsky era is over, Microsoft will use BUILD to provide its first major “vision” announcement for Windows since, yes, Longhorn in 2003. Don’t expect anything that grandiose, but the Windows team believes it needs to hit a happy middle ground between the KGB-style secrecy of the Sinofsky camp and the freewheeling “we can do it all” days that preceded that. As important, the firm understands that customers need something to be excited about.
No bits at BUILD. Microsoft will not be providing developers with an early alpha release of “Threshold” at BUILD, and for a good reason: The product won’t even begin development until later that month. Right now, Microsoft is firming up which features it intends to deliver in this release.
Metro 2.0. Maturing and fixing the “Metro” design language used by Windows will be a major focus area of Threshold. It’s not clear what changes are coming, but it’s safe to assume that a windowed mode that works on the desktop is part of that.
Three milestones. Microsoft expects to deliver three milestone releases of “Threshold” before its final release. It’s unclear what these releases will be called (Beta, Release Candidate, etc.) or which if any will be provided to the public.
April 2015 release. Microsoft is currently targeting April 2015 for the release of Windows 9 “Threshold.”
Some clarification is required here:
The last time Microsoft did something like this was with Windows 7 to bury the Windows Vista gong show. It is also interesting that Microsoft is not going to abandon the Metro user interface seeing as it’s created it’s fair share of grief for the company. I’m guessing that they think they can evolve it into something people will like. Finally, it’s interesting that Microsoft is doing this with no leader at the helm seeing as Steve Ballmer is retiring and is basically a lame duck at this point. That is a big risk. Clearly they feel they have no other choice. One thing is clear, Microsoft would not be this aggressive if Windows 8 wasn’t a failure in the marketplace.
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This entry was posted on January 13, 2014 at 1:37 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags Microsoft. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.