Windows Blue Is Now Officially Called Windows 8.1 & Free

The head of the Windows division at Microsoft officially confirmed that Windows Blue will be a free update to Windows 8 that will be available for download from the Windows Store. This should be music to the ears of many who feared that this may be a paid upgrade.

And not just that, Windows Blue is now officially known as Windows 8.1.

Tami Reller also confirmed that the update will also arrive for the company’s Windows RT platform.

There was more than a fair chance that this upgrade would indeed be free, but there were some voices that suggested Microsoft may charge additional money for existing Windows 8 customers. Nevertheless, it is nice to see this rumor quashed into oblivion.

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Microsoft confirms Windows 8.1 public preview next month

Microsoft is to release a public preview of Windows 8.1 for anyone who has Windows 8 during BUILD 2013 in June. Head of Windows Engineering at Microsoft, Julie-Larson Green confirmed this today during the Wired Business Conference.


According to previous tips and leaks, Microsoft is close to completing what's believed to be the second internal milestone build, known as the Milestone Preview, of Windows Blue. Shortly after that, Microsoft is expected to make its one-and-only Windows Blue public preview available to consumers.

Earlier this week, Microsoft officials said to expect the company to make Windows Blue available by holiday 2013. I am still continuing to hear Microsoft is on track to release to manufacturing (RTM) Windows Blue by August 2013 or so.

Larson-Green emphasized -- like her Chief Financial Officer counterpart Tami Reller -- that Microsoft plans to be "principled but not stubborn" with coming modifications to the Blue update. Neither Larson-Green nor Reller promised that Microsoft would add back the Start Button to Windows Blue, but neither of them ruled out this possibility.


"The Start Button might be helpful," Larson-Green acknowledged during her remarks at the conference, and provide users with more of a "comfort level." She did note that the team has had "meaningful discussions" about bringing back the Start Button, but users shouldn't interpret that as meaning the old Start Menu would be coming back.

She noted that the Start Button today is basically hidden. "Some would like it showing up on the screen all the time," she said.

Source: ZDNet

Windows Blue hits Milestone 1 as screenshot leakes online

New reports claimed that Windows Blue just recently hit milestone 1, which is believed to be half way through the OS's development cycle. Milestone 2 will be the final build before Windows Blue RTM's, which is expected to happen in August of 2013.

It also appears to be true that Windows Blue will run version 6.3 of the NT Kernel, and not 6.2 as some originally believed. This is because 6.3 will tell applications what version of Windows it's running, 6.1 is Windows 7, 6.2 is Windows 8 and 6.3 is Windows Blue.

From this latest kernel bump, it certainly looks as though Microsoft will be delivering some significant changes. The screenshots themselves do not reveal what kinds of changes we could be seeing, but TheVerge‘s report also suggests Windows Blue is designed for a new fleet of hardware types, including the increasingly popular 7 and 8-inch tablets.

Windows Blue is expected to make an appearance sometime later this year, and will begin to ease users into the annual update system.

Obviously, Microsoft refuse to talk about Windows Blue, which means most details are still scarce. Nobody knows what Blue will include as an update, or whether the update will be free.

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Windows Blue Confirmed

Finally, Windows Blue looked to be confirmed by Microsoft as they post a new job opening on the Microsoft Careers Website.

According to the post, The Core Experience team in Windows Sustained Engineering (WinSE) is involved in making improvements to the start screen, application lifecycle, windowing and personalization. Windows Blue will "build on and improve" these OS components.

it stated :- "We’re looking for an excellent, experienced SDET to join the Core Experience team in Windows Sustained Engineering (WinSE). The Core Experience features are the centerpiece of the new Windows UI, representing most of what customers touch and see in the OS, including: the start screen; application lifecycle; windowing; and personalization. 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."

Blue is the codename for the next wave of Windows-related operating system and services updates from Microsoft. There will be a Blue update to Windows 8, Windows Server 2012, Windows Phone 8 and the Windows Services like Hotmail and SkyDrive and more.

On the Windows and Windows Phone fronts, Blue is expected to include new features and even new programming interfaces designed to bring the different flavors of Windows closer together, from an app model/development model perspective.

Windows Blue appears to be a wide-spread update that Windows 8 and Windows Phone will receive, there is no exact date for the upgrade as of yet, but many are speculating something to be released in mid-2013.

Source: zdnet
Via: Winbeta

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Microsoft is Working on a New Operating System Codenamed 'Windows Blue'

Microsoft is busy preparing the next-generation of Windows client, shortly after shipping Windows 8 in October. Several sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans that the company is planning to standardize on an approach, codenamed 'Windows Blue', across Windows and Windows Phone in an effort to provide more regular updates to consumers.

According to sources, the new operating system will be released in mid-2013 which will include UI changes and alterations to the entire platform and pricing. Microsoft will price its next Windows release at a low cost or even free to ensure users upgrade. Once Windows Blue is released, the Windows SDK will be updated to support the new release and Microsoft will stop accepting apps that are built specifically for Windows 8, pushing developers to create apps for Blue. Windows 8 apps will continue to run on Blue despite the planned SDK changes.You will need a genuine copy of Windows to upgrade to Windows Blue. Built-in apps and the Windows Store will cease functioning if a copy is upgraded that is pirated.

Sources tell us that Microsoft will likely keep the Windows 8 name for the foreseeable future, despite the Windows Blue update. A big part of Windows Blue is the push towards yearly updates for Microsoft’s OS. Microsoft will kick off an annual upgrade cycle for Windows that is designed to make it more competitive against rival platforms from Apple and Google.

Source

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