Another leak confirms that Windows 8 is a goner, Windows 9 coming this year

MICROSOFT WILL ANNOUNCE Windows 9 before the year is out, according to the latest leak from reliable Russian mole Wzor.

According to the rumour, Windows 8.1 Update 2 will be released in August, drawing a line under Windows 8, with Windows 9 - assuming that will be its moniker - to be announced within a couple of months. Beyond that, Windows 8 will be patched, but not enhanced.

The Wzor rumour echoes that of ZDNet analyst Mary Jo Foley, who made nearly identical claims last month, further fueling its credibility.

Wzor was among the first to confirm the return of the Start Menu and Microsoft climb downs over the Modern or Metro interface in Windows 8.

According to a translation on the My Digital Life forum, Wzor said, "Windows 9 will be announced this fall, Microsoft's advertising budget this time will be fantastic. The slogan of a promotional campaign will be "You want Start button and new menu and you will get that".

"On the advice of marketing experts, flaws of Windows 8 will be accepted and used as lessons for developers while releasing Windows 9."

This is the first major leak from Wzor after the closure of his website, following the reprimand of a Microsoft employee for being the source of such leaks, and shows that despite this, the well has not completely dried up.

Wzor also suggested that development has been delayed as Microsoft overhauls its product activation systems, primarily to stem the traffic in illicit versions of Windows in China.

The Chinese government has denounced Windows 8 as spyware and ordered its government departments not to use it.

Microsoft reportedly planning Windows 9 release in April 2015

Microsoft is currently working on an "Update 1" for Windows 8.1, but the company has bigger plans for the future of Windows as part of a "Threshold" wave of updates. Windows watcher Paul Thurrott reports that the company’s Threshold plans will involve a release of Windows 9 around April 2015. Microsoft will allegedly unveil its vision for Windows 9 at the company’s Build 2014 developer conference in April, with a release planned for a year later.

It appears that Microsoft is currently planning to use the Windows 9 branding and vision as a way to move away from some of the criticisms of the Windows 8 operating system. It’s not immediately clear what type of changes will be made to Windows 9, but "Metro 2.0" inside the new OS will reportedly include a major focus on improving Microsoft’s new app world and tiles. Previous rumors have suggested Microsoft is planning to separate out its Windows 8-style ("Metro") apps to allow them to float and run in separate windows on the traditional desktop. The Verge understands Microsoft is also planning a Start menu return for Windows 9, but that the company may deliver this early in a second "Update 2" for Windows 8.1 later this year.

Microsoft will reportedly use three major milestone development points for Windows 9, but it’s not clear how many of them will be released to the public during the development period. The software maker is currently in the final planning stages for Windows 9 and work is expected to begin after the Build 2014 developer conference in April. It sounds like Microsoft will use Build 2014 as a launch point for its vision of Windows 9, detailing some of the planned changes in an attempt to generate excitement around the company’s future plans.

Windows certainly needs excitement, Windows 8-style apps, and innovation if Microsoft is to succeed with its vision of a hybrid tablet and desktop operating system. If Microsoft manages to pull off a Windows 9 release with significant improvements over Windows 8 then that may relegate Windows 8 to a Vista-like release in the minds of consumers. The company clearly isn’t confident with any continued use of the Windows 8 brand in the same way that Apple does with its OS X point releases. While there will be further tweaks to Windows 8.1 shortly, Windows 9 looks to be the next major release.