Big boy Satya Nadella: Size matters.
Microsoft is said to be ready to launch Windows 9 at the end of next month, with a beta / preview download available on a date soon after. Code named Threshold, the new operating system is expected to finally fix our gripes with Windows.
It's akin to Windows 7 after Vista. At least, that's the hope.
In IT Blogwatch, bloggers wonder if Satya's plans measure up.
Your humble blogwatcher curated these bloggy bits for your entertainment.
Tom Warren rabbits on: [You're fired -Ed.]
Microsoft is planning to unveil its Windows 8 successor next month. [It will] release a preview version of what will likely be named Windows 9 to developers on September 30th or shortly afterwards.…
[The] preview will give developers a first look at the new mini Start Menu in Windows 9, alongside the removal of the Charms bar feature [and possibly] an early version of Cortana. ... Either way, Microsoft’s next version of Windows is nearing completion. MORE
Brad Chacos is glad he caught you at home, but... could he use your phone?
Our first glimpse of Windows 9 may be right around the corner. ... Mary Jo Foley [previously] reported that Microsoft was targeting a "technology preview"...in late September or early October. ... Warren and Foley are well-connected Windows watchers with a firm track record.…
Rather than being a sweeping overhaul in the vein of Windows 8, Windows Threshold actually appears poised to dial back the gargantuan changes. ... Hopefully there's more to Threshold than simple UI changes. ... Fingers crossed. MORE
Even Preston Gralla sounds less grumpy than usual:
[Will] September 30...be the day that Windows finally gets back its mojo, or will [it] continue to be lambasted by critics and users alike? ... Leaked Threshold screenshots show an operating system that users of desktops and laptops can love. ... The Start menu will also display pinned Metro apps and their tiles, so it will to a certain extent bridge Windows 8's two dueling interfaces.…
There's expected to be much more...being able to run Metro apps on the desktop, and resize them like traditional desktop apps...side by side with desktop apps. ... Virtual desktops...the Charms bar may also be killed off.…
This time, it seems, Microsoft may be listening to its users rather than dictating to them. ... September 30 could be the start of a Windows revival. MORE
But Larry Dignan calls it "much ado about little":
Windows 9...could ultimately be known as the last of the software giant's big bang operating system releases. [It's] strategic today, but a mere transition product if you zoom out beyond two years.…
Microsoft needs to put the Windows 8 launch to bed. ... Windows [needs] to be both touch and non-touch friendly...to hook into Microsoft's platform and productivity mantra [and] to lay the groundwork for a faster development cadence as well as a cloud approach. ... Windows 9 is the bridge between Microsoft's past [to] the cloud, innovation that's easier to consume, and services.…
Should CEO Satya Nadella's master plan work out...we'll all simply pay Microsoft a $20-a-year subscription for updates, new features, and perhaps some online storage. ... Microsoft would net $60 over three years. For consumers who bought Windows XP and kept it for a decade that $60...looks pretty good [for Microsoft]. MORE
Meanwhile, "What's so hard to understand?" shoutily lactates brain out:
Past is prologue, and more changed-UI window dressing, just tells me that MSFT is still deaf, still doesn't 'get it' about how to make the OS easy on business. 12 years now, they've been deaf, and this new picture only tells me that such deafness, will continue.…
WHEN YOU MOVE THE CHEESE FROM THE FRIDGE TO THE OUTHOUSE, PEOPLE WON'T FIND AND WON'T LIKE, THE CHEESE. MORE
