Microsoft's next Windows Blue test build said to be a public preview
Summary: Microsoft's Windows Blue operating system update may be on its way to a public, consumer preview in the next few months. And it might even be free, according to the latest scuttlebutt.
More rumors about Microsoft's next Windows release, codenamed Blue, are trickling out from Win8China.com, a site known for leaking information about new Windows releases.
Though I cannot corroborate all Win8China's specifics, I'd say based on previous Windows Blue tidbits I've heard, the site's latest Blue information seems largely believable.
In August 2012, I blogged about Microsoft's Windows Blue work, noting that a summer 2013 debut was the internal Microsoft delivery target. On February 24, Win8China claimed that the release-to-manufacturing phase for Windows Blue is supposedly June 7, with retail availability planned for August 2013.
Looking back, Microsoft released Windows 8 to manufacturing on August 1, 2012, but didn't make the release available at retail until October 26. Up until now, there's typically been a roughly three-month lag between RTM and the date when at least some PC makers would have the latest Windows release preloaded on new PCs. With Blue, Microsoft is trying to get Windows on a faster development track, and also get the final bits into consumers' hands almost as soon as the product RTMs, I've heard.
Win8China is also reporting that the second of the two expected Windows Blue milestones will be a public "milestone preview" build. I blogged recently that there would be two Windows Blue "milestones," according to my contacts, but had no information as to when and whether Microsoft planned to release a developer or consumer preview before RTMing the product.
In January 2013, I reported that Windows Blue was expected to include tweaks to the user experience, new dev-platform related bits, as well as new versions of Internet Explorer, Mail, Calendar, Bing and other integrated apps. Blue also was expected include some kernel and driver-level updates which could help with battery life and overall performance, according to my sources.
It sounds like Win8China also is hearing the same, noting there will be performance enhancements. The site is also claiming there will be scalability improvements for Metro-Style (Windows Store) apps so that they render correctly on differently sized screens. (We know Microsoft officials are touting Windows 8's ability to support multiple screen sizes, so this seems like a good bet.)
Win8China also mentions windowing improvements will be part of Windows Blue. I'm not exactly sure what that means, but I'd be really happy if we could run more than just two apps side-by-side like we're stuck doing with Windows 8. A woman can dream....
Win8China also said that Microsoft intends to make the Windows Blue upgrade free for Windows 8 users. I have no idea if this is true, or if Microsoft will go the Apple route and make OS refreshes available for a relatively nominal fee.
Win8China hasn't posted about the other products that I've heard are part of the upcoming Blue wave. Windows Phone, Windows Server, Outlook.com and SkyDrive are all set to get "Blue" refreshes at some point. I've heard from my contacts that Windows Phone Blue is running later than Windows Blue. It's unclear whether that means Windows Phone Blue will be a fall/winter 2013 or a 2014 release. (This should not be interpreted as Windows Phone Blue being "delayed," as I have no idea what the Windows Phone team's target for Blue is/was.)
Microsoft officials are declining to comment on anything pertaining to Blue.
(Thanks to Sebastian, a k a @Windows4Live, for providing a link to a succinct translation of the latest Win8China rumors about Blue.)
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Talkback
My wishes
Free the Metro apps from the Start screen. Let me pin them to my desktop like a widget, and let me scale them to an appropriate size on a large screen and I might be more inclined to use them.
While I don't hate the Charms menu, I do wish I could reconfigure it. Let me choose which side of the screen it appears on, and let me choose which corner activates it.
Finally, give me the option to just boot straight to the desktop. As it is, when I boot up I click on the Desktop icon and spend my day there. I rarely to never go back to the Start menu, as there is very little there that I need or use. I don't hate Metro, I just don't need or want it (in its current form) on a desktop system or even my laptop. Everyone uses their systems differently. What would be wrong with giving us a choice?
Huh?
Not the same
Metro apps are not supposed to be
Therein lies the rub
Personally I hate the Metro interface and so have gone out of my way to buy systems with Win7 so I can be protected from Microsoft's heavy-handed stupidity until they fix the glaring useability faults. I will never buy Win8 with Metro the way it is, and sincerely hope they fix this in the next release.
There's no reason it couldn't be
And if we really want to spare developers work on page resizing, QNX on Playbook offers a tasklist mode that allows 3-4 running apps to display at once.
Now you can run Metro apps on the desktop
http://www.stardock.com/products/modernmix/
Seems they are doing the things Microsoft won't but it's a shame they charge for their products ($5 for start8 & $5 for modern mix to make win8 more usable...)
I completely agree
Ha! Jarring.
Its "jarring". Ha! Thats so funny. I could just see an office full of people after using Windows 8 for a couple hours. All sort of shook up and looking like they just got off a roller coaster or something. Ha! Jarring. Thats so funny.
Funny thing is loads of people are happily using Windows 8 and none of them looked "jarred" at all.
Shrug - and loads of people have been avoiding Windows 8 too
Alternatively
I'm pretty used to Metro
The Charms bar request is minor. I could take or leave that one but I don't see why they wouldn't give you the choice. Chances are I would leave it where it is though.
My biggest request, if they don't allow metro app windowing, is to let me run split metro apps on a second screen while using the desktop and desktop programs. I hate that it switches both screens to desktop mode.
Oh, and give me an option, that I can set by default, that searches programs, files and settings without having to go to each category. Feel free to divide them up by category in the results, I'm good with that, but don't make me select each one.
I'm personally looking forward to the improvements it brings that will tie into the Xbox 720 and Windows Phone 8.
Live Tiles = Sidebar Gadgets in Win7
They were called Sidebar Gadgets in Windows 7. I have a bunch that I use in Windows 7 daily to monitor devices and services in my network and would feel lost without them in Windows 8. Funny thing, I somehow managed to get those same Sidebar Gadgets to run in Windows 8 Consumer Preview, but not in the Professional release version. Back to Windows 7 I went.
Yep
I am not very fond of the current "snap-screen" in Metro
This would only be practical on Windows 8 (x86/x64) but it would make it more useful on the desktop.
On ARM (Windows RT, Windows Phone) would not be much different than it is now.
I just want the option for it
No More Metro
We end up paying extra for a start menu as it stands now, it's only about $5 to fix Microsoft's biggest mistake, but we shouldn't have to do that.
Lots of poeple disagree
Lots of people disagree
Your wrong. We have an all in one touch screen W8 machine in our ER at hospital. Its a machine for the MD's and for what they do, they absolutely DO NOT need metro for anything period. The MD that purchased this machine was a bit upset that he had to install a third party app to put the start menu back. We are forgetting the huge enterprise market that is not thrilled about metro. Their adaption rate is practically non existent for W8 and its metro that they are avoiding. Believe me, when MS phases out W7 for enterprise they better have a start button in 8 or they will die.
Huh?