When Microsoft released Windows 8, and more recently Windows 8.1, their intention was to create a unified user experience; a mix of the traditional desktop format and the new tiles format. The current system however, is a long way from being perfect and there are still many aspects that Microsoft needs to address prior to the commercial availability of Windows 9.

Despite the fact that there is no clear direction yet in the way of Windows 9, the not-so-distant past as well as the launch of Windows 8 gives us some hints as to what we can expect from the upcoming OS.

– There is an event this coming Monday which will likely feature a technical demonstration based on the developer version (often referred to as the DP ‘developer preview’ or CTP ‘community technology previews) of Windows.

– Since the Windows 8 developer preview was publicly displayed towards the end of February 2012, we can expect a similar pattern for the Windows 9 consumer preview. (Possibly during March, perhaps even at the digital exhibition CeBIT 2015).

– A release preview of Windows 8 was displayed on May 31st 2012. With that in mind, a June 2015 release would be the most likely outcome for the Windows 9 Release Preview (or Windows 9 Release Candidate).

– Each of the three preview versions will potentially expire on 15th January 2016, offering a little over 14 months of free Windows 9 users to the earliest adopters.

– Windows 9 RTM (Released To Manufacturing) will probably occur during August. Selected partners would have access to it a couple of weeks later. (MSDN, Software Assurance.)

The official event in which this would be set in motion will be held in October or November 2015. Overall general availability would shortly follow.

– A cumulative update may also be made after it becomes available to guarantee the majority of issues have been sorted prior to the release of Windows 9.

As for the updates to the operating system, various feature changes have been made to the overall start screen. For instance, the shutdown feature will be making a return from the Start menu and a more recognisable task bar to unify the new and old user interfaces. This was made known at Build 2014 (developer conference), as well as features hinted at for Windows updates in the future.

The successor to the current OS is being referred to as Windows 9 although this is subject to change.

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