Barely a month behind us Microsoft’s Windows 8 got a ballyhooed launch. Now we hear that Microsoft is busy preparing its next-generation Windows client. We have learned from several sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans that the company is planning to roll out a cheaper OS, codenamed Windows Blue.
According to anonymous sources, the software giant is taking a new direction with Blue, with more focusing on frequent annual updates for a more standardised OS. This represents a new strategy for Microsoft. The update on the Windows side will include UI changes and alterations to the entire platform and pricing. This can be also seen as the company adopting the strategies of Apple and Google, which provides upgrades regularly and often.
Microsoft is aiming to make it as the next OS that everyone installs. To make this possible, it will price its next Windows release at a low cost or even provide free to ensure users upgrade. After its release, the Windows SDK will be updated to support the new release. Moreover, to push developers to create apps for Blue, it will stop accepting apps that are built specifically for Windows 8. But the Windows 8 apps will continue to run on Blue despite the planned SDK changes.
It is understood that we will need a genuine copy of Windows to upgrade to Windows Blue. Built-in apps and the Windows Store will stop functioning if a pirated copy is upgraded. Sources tell us that its unlikely that Microsoft will change the Windows 8 name in near future, despite the Windows Blue update.
A major part of Windows Blue is the drive towards yearly updates for Microsoft’s OS. The company will also introduce an annual upgrade cycle for Windows which is designed to make it more competitive against rival platforms from Apple and Google.
To read the original story, click here.
