It all began with a job posting on the Microsoft careers page which no longer exist as of the time of this writing. Microsoft has been on a lookout for an experienced engineer to join the Core Experience team in Windows Sustained Engineering (WinSE). The listing also mentioned the following:
Windows Blue promises to build and improve upon these aspects of the OS, enhancing ease of use and the overall user experience on devices and PCs worldwide.
According to reports coming in, the next major update to Windows 8 ecosystem codenamed Windows Blue will be available for consumers towards the middle of this year. However, some people rumored about a possible release around the end of June 2013.
When contacted, Microsoft official spokesperson refused to either comment or disclose any information related to Windows Blue.
Microsoft is really fighting hard in its quest to compete with Apple and Google in both desktop and mobile technology space. Windows 8 PCs are not able to attain significant boost in sales due to complete change in its user interface which some people doesn’t like it very much.
Learnxpress feels that Microsoft has realized this situation and hence working on an update which increases the usability and productivity of consumers while working with Windows 8.
“Windows Blue could have a profound impact on the marketplace especially if it helps Microsoft finally get Windows 8 into more offices and homes,” said Don Reisinger, eweek.com
According to Don, Windows 8 isn’t appealing to consumers.
Learnxpress doesn’t agree completely to the above statement as different people will have different taste and preferences. Some people like it while some doesn’t. It’s purely a personal preference which we can’t judge completely unless a survey is conducted.
Consumers who attempt to try Windows 8 should have used previous versions of Windows which has the traditional Start button on the TaskBar. Windows 8 doesn’t include Start button. It remains to be seem whether Windows Blue will ship with an option to enable the Start menu although third party tools such as Pokki are currently available.
Don is of the opinion that corporate consumers will not like the new user interface and blue attempts to address that problem with some improvements that will appeal to enterprise users.
“Windows Blue will have better upgraded apps and will tweak the user experience by eliminating all of the extras in the interface that they don’t need,” mentions Don in his blog post.
The big rumor spreading across the web is that Windows Blue will ship with Bing search engine fully integrated into it. However, federal regulators will keep a close watch as it will possibly affect the consumer’s freedom in choosing their desired search engine.
According to reports, Blue will provide support for small tablet screen sizes such as 7 and 8 inch displays. Learnxpress feels that Microsoft will probably release a mini version of Surface tablet by the end of this year including a possibility of a Surface phone with Windows Phone 8.
According to reports, Microsoft will release Windows Blue as a free add-on to Windows 8 just like updates and service pack to its previous counterparts. However, industry experts feel that this will put pressure on Apple as they charge around $20 for its software updates.
Windows 8 generated publicity when it was released last year but some consumers are still happy with Windows 7. With the release of Windows Blue, consumers will have renewed interest to test drive Windows 8 to see what Blue has to offer.
“Windows Blue will follow the Office 365 subscription model. When your subscription is up, you are locked out from all internet access except to pay by credit card or Paypal at a Microsoft web site,” said Ben Myers.
According to Win8China.com, a public preview of Windows Blue is expected in June with the actual release scheduled for August. The site also claims that Windows Blue will be built on a new kernel with Internet Explorer 11.
Matous Vales
Blue was the very much needed update to fix Windows 8 on non touch devices. Not only Windows 8 desktop inteface looks awful combined with Metro, navigating through Metro with a mouse is a total nightmare
I have 2 ordinary displays and the experience sucks. I wanted to improve it with like a Microsoft touch mouse, but then I found out it has only a single button, so that’s a no-go. The software might be great on touchscreens.
pascal.vermeulen
I am working with Win8 Pro on my Workstation with 4 displays + 1 touchscreen, works like a charm
Win8 is 2 times (that is 200%) faster. The laptop that I am using to write this reply is 4 years old and boots up in 6 seconds (with a 60gig intel SSD, I must confess). But Win8 is really really fast, no one can deny that.
MeesBoe
Windows 8 is a serious beauty
bartw78
I prefer Bing over Google even though I am in one of those countries outside the US
Crumbleshake
I’ve been using Windows 8 since the release preview on my main PC with two monitors, no touchscreens, a mouse and a keyboard. I use metro a lot and I use the desktop a lot. It’s absolute fiction that it’s not good for a mouse and keyboard.
Arcadium
Metro with a mouse is totally usable, it just doesn’t seem to be your cup of tea.
abdhoms
If they bring features worth buying, I’ll be ready to pay.
Paul Thurrott is very critical about the upcoming release of Windows Blue:
Why is Microsoft working on a major update to Windows 8 when so many small things need to be fixed first, and faster?
It requires resolving those horrible, terribly incomplete Metro apps one by one. Add a unified inbox view to the Mail app. Fix Xbox Music and get the matching service up and running. Add CalDAV support to Calendar. And so on.
Release an update that lets us skip the Start screen and boot right to the desktop and then make that a formal PC Settings option in Windows 9. Have someone create a Facebook for crissakes. Fix the damn thing.
Consumers who purchased laptops with Windows 8 are not happy as rahvint on Lenovo forum commented:
This was my first experience with Windows 8 and it is just complete junk IMHO, I’m embarrassed to admit it took me longer than a minute to figure out how to restart my machine.
Learnxpress is of the opinion that a fresh update to Windows 8 is a necessity to address specific usability issues.
