Windows 8 will be offering free Windows 9 upgrades. Rumors of the release of the upcoming platform as a free download to certain existing Windows users comes as a Microsoft event in San Francisco will be held next Tuesday.
Apart from the free Windows 9 upgrade for Windows 8 users, others have claimed that the company is also considering special offers for existing Windows XP users.
Apparently, Microsoft misinterpreted the Windows 8 market after the Windows 7's success, making the platform's interface inferior to its former counterpart, according to PC World. Many customers were unsatisfied, especially in the consumer market.
"Windows 8 was obviously not for enterprise use. It didn't give information workers an experience that let them be efficient at work. So Microsoft has to make sure that Windows 9 is good for that very important enterprise segment," said Al Gillen, an IDC analyst.
Windows 8 performed better in the consumer market only by the end of 2013, when the interface sold 117.2 million copies. Despite the millions it sold, the interface still trailed behind Windows 7, which had 322 million in sales.
The company was able to address a number of complaints through Windows 8.1 and Windows 8.1 Update, but Microsoft was never really able to fix all issues, PC Mag reports.
Now, with the introduction of the Windows 9 operating system at the San Francisco event, not only is the company widely expected to improve fix former issues, users expect "free upgrades for Windows 8 users" as well.
The source behind this latest rumor is Indonesian tech site Detik. Earlier this week, the site reportedly quoted Microsoft Indonesia president Andreas Diantoro as saying that the "the Windows 9 upgrade will be available free of charge to all existing Windows 8 users once it's released."
The Detik article, when translated, reportedly says that once the Threshold is released, Windows 8 users "will be able to easily install the Windows 9 update after downloading it from Microsoft."
The process is also how Apple's OS X updates have been used by Mac users for the past several years.
Gartner analyst Michael Silver said Microsoft must make the process of moving to Windows 9 smoother than the process of migrating to a new Windows version has historically been.
"Upgrading or keeping Windows current should be like keeping a phone current," said Silver. "It should be smarphone simple," he added.
For what it's worth, some of the Windows 9 leaks pointed out that Microsoft already has a tool which will allow users to easily perform software updates.
The rumor of the Windows 9 upgrades for the Windows 8 interface has reportedly been around for some time already. There are also suggestions that Windows XP users will be given free upgrades as well.
The move might prove successful if Microsoft plans to move many of its users from the older and unsupported Windows XP to Windows 9.
Windows 9 is will formally roll out next year.
Rumors courtesy of German site WinFuture emerged a few weeks earlier revealing some major features incorporated to Windows 9. These include the return of the Start menu, the Cortana voice-based digital search assistant that's currently available only on Windows Phone, a Windows phone-like Notification Center, support for multiple desktops and several other UI enhancements, reports BGR.
WinFuture also presented a peek into virtual desktops which could be created to fit a user's needs. Akin to Apple's OS X platform, Windows users can now have access to a variety of workspaces and open other programs with a new taskbar icon.
While the future is positive for Windows 8 users, if the rumors are proven true, what could happen to users of other Windows OSes like Vista and Windows 7 remains unclear, noted BGR. They may not receive special offers like Windows 8. As for actual prices for Windows 9, they are yet to be revealed.
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