Microsoft's follow-up to Windows 8 was rumoured to be called Windows Blue, with the Redmond company said to offer annual updates for not much money. Well now the name of the OS has been confirmed in a job advert by Microsoft, ZDNet reports.
The ad is for a software development engineer to join the Core Experience team, to work on the next-generation OS. The Core Experience features "are the centrepiece of the new Windows UI," the ad reads, "representing most of what customers touch and see in the OS, including: the start screen; application lifecycle; windowing; and personalisation. Windows Blue promises to build and improve upon these aspects of the OS, enhancing ease of use and the overall user experience on devices and PCs worldwide."
Not too many details to go on then, but still, it's confirmation.
Windows Blue will come to Windows Phone too, according to a second job ad. This one is for a senior development lead in the Office team, to bring the Excel app to "Windows Phone Blue", which is pretty concrete.
What can we expect from Windows Blue? It looks like Microsoft will take a leaf out of Apple's book and offer improvements through yearly updates, instead of its current cycle. Each new version shouldn't cost much either, or could even be free. Windows 8 apps should still run on Blue.
Despite the changes, Microsoft will still call the OS Windows 8.
Windows Blue is due around the middle of this year, according to sources. From the ad, it sounds like improvements will focus on the UI and the touch and feel of the OS, as well as bringing Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 closer together. This last part was hinted at in another Microsoft job ad, so exciting times ahead.
What would you like to see from Windows Blue? And how would you improve Windows 8? Let me know in the comments, or on Facebook.
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anonymous 17 February, 2013 11:08
Its not hard to see where they could improve Windows 8. They did well speeding it up and making it more slick ala Apple/Android. The live title were a good idea. However people on laptops or desktops have found the titled interface cumbersome and annoying and would have preferred a way to turn off the entire UI, rather than just enter into Desktop mode. Some would even say that allowing people to boot into desktop would be a nice addition. Its annoying when you buy something then download something to turn it back to the thing you upgraded from. Microsoft also need to reduce the price of it. Its ridiculous to expect the average consumer to pay so much for an operating system. It should be £25 all the time because not only is Apple cheaper (OS Mountain Lion upgrade).
anonymous 17 February, 2013 13:41
ex7forw8 lets you use the interface from Windows 7, so you get the best of both worlds - much quicker OS and a better interface for non touchscreen users
anonymous 17 February, 2013 19:58
I would like to see the Windows store app switcher, IE10 tab and Windows desktop application switching integrated in to one place. I keep selecting tabs when I mean to switch apps and moving to the top left hand corner to switch browser tabs. It would also be good to get the app switcher appear by pressing one key, or allowing customizable key combinations. Finally I would like it to appear in the centre of the screen, rather than all the way to the left on a big monitor.
anonymous 18 February, 2013 14:31
Windows 8 sucks big time. This is a Vista size mess version 2. Why is Microsoft selling this minor OS revision for £199, it's utterly ridiculous. If they can't get their act together soon, they'll lose to Google Android and the Chromebook in 3-5 years time. No one needs Windows anymore, its only customer retention features is Office.