WINDOWS 9

Windows Releases New Windows 9

Windows is set to release  new windows 9 later this year. Sources familiar with Microsoft's plans have informed The Verge the company has begun planning a big press event at the end of September to officially unveil the next version of Windows. Which is September 30th for the press preview of windows.
 The new windows combines the Start menu of windows 7 and 8 and it has new features which include multiple desktops as shown in the leaked videos and It has also brought back  Metro Style live tiles. Also some leaked screenshots give an insight to what windows 9 looks like.

flat explorer surface and new icon.

start menu

virtual multiple desktops.
if you thought that Windows 8 was flat, Windows 9 is even flatter. Desktop windows now have just a one-pixel border, and some icons have been reworked so that they’re two-dimensional icon. Note that some icons in Explorer (Documents, Downloads ) are still 3D-style — but that might change before release. The taskbar jump list has also been reworked — it too has a one-pixel border.There’s a new search button on the taskbar next to the Start button, but none of the screenshots show what it does. You can also see the virtual desktops interface, which is presumably activated by clicking that other button on the taskbar.
There don’t seem to be any other major changes. So far, other than a few cosmetic changes and the addition of virtual desktops, it seems Microsoft has mostly made good on its promise to bring back the Start menu and to allow Metro apps to run on the Desktop. While the left side of the Windows 9 Start menu looks somewhat like the Windows 7-era menu, it’s clearly a brand new beast. Still, all of the major functions from the Windows 7 Start menu are there: A Search/Run box (which immediately has focus after you hit the Start key), one-click access to your documents and pictures, and a block that appears to be populated with your most-used apps.The power button is now at the top of the Start menu, but that’s probably a better place for it — harder to mistakenly click it up there. And then there’s the huge Start screen-style panel on the right hand side. There’s no other way to describe it: It is the Start screen from Windows 8, but in a floating panel rather than full-screen. The live tiles are identical: You can resize them and move them around. As you pin (or remove) items from the Metro portion of the Start menu, it scales accordingly. I have to admit, it’s pretty slick.
Rounding out some of the other features that we see in the video, we also see that the taskbar properties window will let you choose whether the Start screen or Start menu pops up when you hit the Start button. Presumably the Start menu will be the default for mouse-and-keyboard users, while touchscreen devices will default to the Metro-style Start screen. The video also shows you what Metro apps will look like running in a window on the Desktop. You can see the “three dots” button in the top left of Metro apps that will allow you to access options previously accessed through the Charms bar  (Search, Share, Settings, etc.)

This is the first footage to appear of the Windows 9 Technical Preview, which is scheduled to be released at the end of September or beginning of October. 

As seen in the video, the taskbar for this early build of Windows 9 includes an icon for creating and closing virtual desktops. New workspaces can be made on the fly, and each workspace and their open programs can be accessed from this icon. The interface is certainly reminiscent of what's already been available on OS X and even Linux for years, but it'll be a welcome feature for power users when the new OS finally debuts.

WHAT WE EXPECT FROM WINDOWS 9

 1. Lower price

Microsoft needs a carrot to dangle in front of consumers and businesses to convince them to invest in Windows 9 machines. The firm might even have to go so far as to offer users the chance to upgrade to the next-iteration of Windows for free.

Reducing the cost of upgrading will help people finally part with Windows XP - the aged operating system that entered end of life in April 2014.

Microsoft’s updates have long been priced higher than Apple’s, and this is yet another factor deterring consumers from upgrading. Something similar to a limited-time, lower price deal for Windows 8 might work, but it’s possible that Windows 9 might even be available for free ala Mac OS X 10.9.

2. Better Battery Life

Intel’s 2013 Haswell chips provided a big jump in battery life, which can be seen in the latest crop of Ultrabooks. Windows machines have long been known to burn through battery power quicker than their Mac OS X counterparts.

Ars Technica gave a detailed breakdown of how OS X Mavericks saves power. The system schedules tasks to run in clumps to maximize processor idle time and minimize power consumption. The latest version of Apple’s OS was so efficient, it even added an extra 60 minutes of battery life to older hardware which upgraded to this operating system.

Microsoft needs to better implement power saving features into Windows 9 or risk being left further behind next-gen Mac products.

3. Desktop-Only Mode

The Metro UI has alienated many loyal Windows users and the firm is going to have to work hard to appease them. Windows 8.1 went some way towards making things better with the option to boot straight to desktop.

But we want Windows 9 to take this a step further. We want the option to switch Metro off. So when you turn on desktop-only mode, this means images should open in Windows Gallery, not the Metro Preview app.

With Windows 9 for mobile devices, Microsoft is reportedly planning to ditch the desktop entirely, and suggest suggest that PCs running the OS may be sold with the Metro view disabled as a default.

Desktop-only mode would let users work in peace and placate some of Microsoft’s critics, while allowing the company to keep experimenting with Metro for consumers.

The Charms bar - another unpopular element of Windows 8's redesign - is also rumoured to have been dropped, with the search, share, devices and settings options previously housed there moving to new title bars on modern Windows 9 apps.

4. Virtual desktops for improved productivity

OS X and Linux have had virtual desktops for years. They allow you to keep multiple sets of windows open on one computer, to mprove productivity when juggling multiple projects.

Microsoft has announced that virtual desktops will indeed be part of Windows 9, allowing users to enjoy multiple desktop displays with individual settings, making it easier to separate work and home activities on the same device.

5. Bring back the real Start button

It’s amazing how so many people can miss such a small feature. Microsoft gave into popular demand when it put a Start button in Windows 8.1, but this just brings you back to the Start screen.

It was rumored for some time the Start Button would return with Windows 8.1 Update 2, but sources claim it has been delayed until June 2015 when it is thought Windows 9 will also arrive.

When it does finally see the light of day, the new-look Start Menu will reportedly include both the classic layout of previous iterations and a new Metro panel with live tiles for Windows Store apps. A mock-up of the menu was shown at April’s Build conference.

6. Over-the-air system recovery

Microsoft could also make it easier to restore Windows in the event of a malfunction. Mac devices can re--install OS X by simply downloading files from the internet.

A similar system would make it easier to recover Windows computers, as it is much simpler than digging through BIOS boot settings and trying to find your recovery USB.

Keeping so many system-specific files would be difficult, but it’s possible. Microsoft could convince hardware manufacturers to contribute the necessary files so users could recover their systems over-the-air.

7. Better display scaling

Windows has not been able to cope with the high-resolution devices manufacturers have started pumping out. As screen resolutions climb north of 1920 x 1080, programs such as Adobe Premiere and Vegas Pro can be rendered unusable in some cases as icons can appear tiny and pixellated.

Howtogeek put up a useful guide explaining how to change the compatibility settings for troublesome Windows apps in order to make the text readable again, but this shouldn’t even be necessary.

Microsoft needs to add better support for Retina-quality displays to make sure the new version of its OS still looks good on devices like the Surface Pro 2.

8. Improved anti-virus

Windows is a primary target for viruses, if only by virtue of its dominant market share. Redmond’s OS attracts the lion’s share of malware, while OS X and Linux aren't as vulnerable.

Microsoft releases regular security patches and has built Microsoft Security Essentials into Windows 8 - but this has been critically panned. In Dennis pPublishing tests, it missed 39 per cent of malware thrown at it.

We might see things improve with Windows 9 as Intel has rebranded the McAfee software suite and could provide comprehensive protection. But Microsoft has to up its game too.

9. Fix Windows Update

Updating Windows software has driven many people to the brink of insanity. If ignored for too long, Windows may reboot your PC at the worst moment possible and then you can be trapped in what seems like a never-ending cycle of updating and rebooting.

Refreshing drivers is the same. PC users shouldn't have to dig through a manufacturer’s website in 2014, looking for the latest version of a driver for their laptop’s graphics card.

Windows 9 thankfully looks to be making moves to rectify these problems with Threshold, with single click updates rumored to be introduced. The feature is a part of the Windows 9 Technical Preview, which makes it's inclusion in the final operating system likely though not confirmed.

This would finally make Windows updates more efficient and less annoying to apply, thus encouraging users to keep their operating system up to date.

10. Native DVD playback

One more feature we’d like to see in Windows is native DVD playback. Microsoft decided to remove this feature for Windows 8, to the annoyance of users. If you want your PC to play DVDs, you have to shell out $10 for a Windows Media Centre add-on.

We know that digital media is prevalent in 2014 but physical media isn't dead yet.