Windows Blue is the start of Microsoft’s yearly update for its OS

Windows Blue logo

Microsoft is hard at work coding the next major update for Windows 8 codename Windows Blue. The information comes from several sources familiar to the project, just a month after the company released its new operating system.

“Blue” is a new major update and a big shift for the company toward rolling new updates every 12 months. The update is similar to what we know as “service pack”, but it will also include new changes to enhance the user-interface, and changes to the entire ecosystem and pricing. According to The Verge, the software giant is making Windows Blue the piece of software that all PCs users will install. The company is also making the next version of Windows inexpensive or even free, to make sure users get in the wagon of Blue and upgrade. A new Windows SDK for developer will be part of the new release to support Blue and Microsoft will stop accepting apps designed for Windows 8. However, Windows Blue will have backward compatibility for Windows 8 apps.

The company isn’t just improving its OS by adding new features and enhancements, but it is also paying close attention to piracy, as to upgrade to Windows Blue, users will need to have a genuine copy of Windows 8. If that is not the case, built-in apps and the Windows Store will stop working.

Windows Blue is due the second quarter of 2013, but note that this isn’t Windows 9, it is a new approach from Microsoft to roll out new major updates every year and it’s been put in place to stay competitive with other platforms (Google and Apple), and the software maker will continue with the Windows 8 name for the time being, despite of Blue.

Source ZDnet via The Verge

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.