Quick overview:
Everyone knows that Windows Blue is coming - only Microsoft is still keeping quiet.
Officially, Microsoft confirms: nothing. No name. No release date. Not even that the Windows 8 successor is being developed. Unofficially, however, details leaked out and reached well-informed, reputable network circles, such as The Verge and Mary Jo Foley from zdnet.com. Then the "Windows Blue" news rushed around the world. And now we know: Win 8 was just a prelude. A beta bridge.
Let's summarize the facts that Mary Jo & Co. state:
- Microsoft will present a new Windows in 2013 - the internal code name is Windows Blue.
- Windows Blue will either cost nothing - or be dirt cheap.
- Win 8 will be able to be updated to Win Blue via download - possibly the last Windows upgrade ever.
- Win Blue is to be the last stand-alone release - in future, Microsoft will introduce an annual update cycle.
- Windows Blue will run the old Win 8 apps - but new ones will have to be developed with an updated Software Development Kit (SDK).
- The classic desktop interface will become even more similar to the tile look (formerly "Metro"): even more monochrome, even more two-dimensional, even easier to use.
- It is sorely missed by many users in Windows 8, but contrary to all rumors Microsoft is unlikely to bring back the Start menu.
Windows is therefore likely to change again in 2013 - into a low-cost operating system that can be updated every year.
Windows 8 - just a beta bridge
The first Blue screenshot? Turned up in a Taiwanese IT forum and is said to show the "post-RTM Windows 8".
"The Verge has learned from multiple sources familiar with Microsoft's plans that the company is pursuing an approach to standardize Windows and Windows Phone - codenamed Blue and in an effort to deliver more regular updates to users." - The Verge.
Assuming the information from the sources in the know is correct - what kind of picture emerges?
Windows 8, celebrated as groundbreaking and innovative, suddenly shrinks to beta Windows. A bridge from old to new - to Blue.
Whether it is a stand-alone release or a huge update: Only with Windows Blue will Microsoft say goodbye to its previous release and pricing policy, to paid service packs and monstrous new releases.
Blue is following the OS policy of Apple and Google: Windows operating systems can be updated much more regularly from 2013. And on all platforms, free of charge or at least very cheaply.
Because Microsoft also wants to earn money with apps for smartphones, tablets and desktop PCs or notebooks in the future. MS is following in the footsteps of its successful competitors with iOS and Android with Win Blue. Admittedly in its own way.
Windows Blue - bigger than a service pack
"I've heard that the next version of Windows won't be Windows 9." - Mary Jo Foley, zdnet.com.
Windows Blue is supposed to be more like Windows 8.5. But it probably has much more to offer than just an ordinary service pack. It should contain new features, writes columnist Mary Jo, not just fixes and updates.
Of course, these are predictions based on unofficial statements. But the sources from The Verge also tweet that MS "will probably stick with the Windows 8 name for the foreseeable future, despite the Windows Blue update".
What was also leaked: The Blue update is intended to expose illegal Windows 8 versions - and make them unusable. Software pirates should no longer be able to use their apps or access the Windows Store under Blue.
One point of criticism has also already been identified: An annual update might suit most private users, but not corporate IT departments. They prefer to carry out system updates every few years, as they involve a great deal of effort. However, no one knows whether the update cycle will be longer for corporate customers.
Microsoft remains silent. For now.
More information on Windows Blue will be available soon - here at windows-tweaks.info
(Photo: windows-tweaks.info)
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