Windows 9 Might Not Make an Appearance Until 2015

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
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According to some new information from several professional Microsoft stalkers, it’s looking like we will not be getting a preview version of Windows 9 until early in 2015.

Microsoft may be working on a cloud-based version of its operating system that could be sold as Windows 365. It would supposedly sell via a subscription model similar to Office 365, according to rumors.
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Now am I going to assume that the people who refuse to make the jump to 8 going to refuse to make the jump to 9 because of the subscription model?
 
Kaitian said:
Now am I going to assume that the people who refuse to make the jump to 8 going to refuse to make the jump to 9 because of the subscription model?
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Really depends on the pricing.

Microsoft has had some good products at times, but nothing I would pay in a subscription service format.

The real kicker will be how it treats business and how they adapt or drop a cloud service.
 
Windows 365!?

LOL go home Windows, You're drunk.


What better time than to switch to Linux.
 
Krenum said:
Windows 365!?

LOL go home Windows, You're drunk.


What better time than to switch to Linux.
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Hmm, switch to a totally different OS and relearn everything... or buy the boxed copy like I always have.

Decisions, decisions... :rolleyes:

Why dos everyone immediately assume that the subscription version will be the ONLY version? Hasn't been true with Office.
 
Here we go, people assuming there will be a cloud based version of Windows that is sub based. :rolleyes: Of course, there is no possible way that picture could be faked? Or worse, that is the name they decided to use just because?
 
Unknown-One said:
Hmm, switch to a totally different OS and relearn everything... or buy the boxed copy like I always have.

Decisions, decisions... :rolleyes:

Why dos everyone immediately assume that the subscription version will be the ONLY version? Hasn't been true with Office.
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Oh I could care less if its digital or a physical copy, what I care about is having to pay a subscription for an OS.

I'll just use Windows 7 or Linux, thanks.
 
Krenum said:
Oh I could care less if its digital or a physical copy, what I care about is having to pay a subscription for an OS.

I'll just use Windows 7 or Linux, thanks.
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Proof of being sub based? Not rumors but proof? Use whatever you want but stop spread FUD.
 
Mark my words people,

The base copy of Windows 9 will be digital and boxed but if you want the all frills edition or whatever they end up calling it. You're going to have to pay a subscription.
 
Krenum said:
Mark my words people,

The base copy of Windows 9 will be digital and boxed but if you want the all frills edition or whatever they end up calling it. You're going to have to pay a subscription.
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I'll point to Office, once again... there's still a fully-featured boxed copy. Office 365 didn't remove the traditional retail version of Office (because they fill different niches), why would they do any different with Windows?
 
Unknown-One said:
I'll point to Office, once again... there's still a fully-featured boxed copy. Office 365 didn't remove the traditional retail version of Office (because they fill different niches), why would they do any different with Windows?
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Exactly. I figure that whatever subscription model there is for Windows, it would be something like Xbox Gold, additional services and applications. Many people think that Windows should be free and I think Microsoft would like to get there but they have to have a way to monetize that. Apple does it through high margin hardware sales and Google does it through advertising. Microsoft won't be able to pull off either of those models so they'll have to come with something a big different.

As to the release, the timing makes sense. 9 isn't going to be a big release but more a fit and finish like 7, so it won't need a long test cycle. And with the return of the Start Menu which looks to be coming by the end of summer at latest, Windows 8.x might get a second chance, at least for another year. It looks like 8.x's adoption is picking up pace a bit with the end of XP and if the new Start Menu solves most of the desktop issues, Windows 8.x will be pretty stacked. A familiar desktop that's very much like Windows 7 plus the ability to run it on tablets very much like iOS and Android. Certainly Microsoft should have done a better job executing all of this but Windows 8.x is becoming an incredibly flexible OS with tons of capability and device support.
 
Given the software industry has finally lost it's paid for special legal protections and is now being treated by recent high court rulings legally as a product, you will see a large movement to subscription (rental) to have control and limit liability. While most will probably use the carrot (multiple choices, low cost) at first there will be others in monopoly positions who will use the stick approach. Rental is not in the consumers/users long term best interests as it strips rights.
 
Kaitian said:
Now am I going to assume that the people who refuse to make the jump to 8 going to refuse to make the jump to 9 because of the subscription model?
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Read the article..Two different products.

Win 9 = Standalone Os

Win 365 = Cloud OS

But on that note..yes Zero chance of me using a subscription cloud OS.
 
I'm holding out hope that MS will continue their trend of making a dumpster fire OS (Vista, Win8) then following it up with a home run (XP, Win7) and that 9 will be a great OS. If they make it more mobile-centric and charge a fucking subscription, I may have to switch to console gaming or focus more hobby time on car audio or just hope they continue to support Win7 for another decade or two.
 
MacLeod said:
I'm holding out hope that MS will continue their trend of making a dumpster fire OS (Vista, Win8) then following it up with a home run (XP, Win7) and that 9 will be a great OS. If they make it more mobile-centric and charge a fucking subscription, I may have to switch to console gaming or focus more hobby time on car audio or just hope they continue to support Win7 for another decade or two.
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Not this off-base notion again *sigh*

XP wasn't a home-run when it was launched, it was a near-disaster.
- Hardware requirements were exponentially higher than previous versions of Windows.
- Software compatibility SUCKED because everything was designed for Win9x, not WinNT.
- The default "Luna" theme was widely hated, and running it also made the OS slower.
- Hardware compatibility was problematic because XP dropped support for all VxD drivers.
- Security was seriously below-bar, making virus and toolbar-infested XP machines a common sight.

The only reason XP sold as well as it did out-the-gate was because there was still a drive to upgrade your PC's hardware every year. New features, vastly better performance, and new form factors all coincided with XP's launch (and XP came pre-installed, so many people just dealt with it). It took a lot of time (and two service packs) for the industry to catch up with XP, since it was a major shift from the previous Win9x based OS's.

Vista? Almost EXACTLY the same problems as XP. The critical difference is that Microsoft learned from their mistake in releasing Windows XP SP2 as a service pack rather than a new stand-alone OS. They couldn't let another version of Windows become THAT badly entrenched, so they boxed up a small number of improvements + a UI refresh and released it as a new OS.

Thing is, 7 is near-identical to Vista in most respects. Vista wasn't a bad OS, Microsoft just chose to burn it rather than save it like XP. Running Vista SP2 is extremely similar to running Windows 7, just without the UI refresh.

tl/dr: A bad launch does not equal a bad OS
 
Kaitian said:
Now am I going to assume that the people who refuse to make the jump to 8 going to refuse to make the jump to 9 because of the subscription model?
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Not to put too fine a point on it. Yeah.
I'll be damned if I'm going to have my own system held hostage against me.
I have no real problems with Linux. And if it requires me to ditch Windows, so be it.
 
I figured they may try a subscription model. It seems to be the current trend in software. But I'm sure there will also be a box copy, just like with Office.

The real question, what features are they going to go to make people want subscription over box?

My guess, the previous rumor that they may move to a yearly release cycle. It fits the subscription model perfectly.
 
Spidey329 said:
I figured they may try a subscription model. It seems to be the current trend in software. But I'm sure there will also be a box copy, just like with Office.

The real question, what features are they going to go to make people want subscription over box?

My guess, the previous rumor that they may move to a yearly release cycle. It fits the subscription model perfectly.
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If they move to a yearly release and maintain the same benefits as iffice 365 it would be pretty awesome.
 
Silverghost said:
Everyone keeping the previous boxed copy.
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Markets never change?

Hopefully they offer both, but if they do, then you can be sure that the consideration to go solely to sub-based, or purely cloud is not far off.

The trick is how business will respond and what they stand to lose in that aspect. Or if we see pirated business OS, if they decided to not force it on them, due to the security issues
 
ManofGod said:
Ah yes, that is right, Microsoft hatred is normal around these forums.
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LOL if we're being truthful the hatred of Microsoft has been around a long, long time everywhere. Most of it is well deserved. Some of it is ignorant users.


As far as I'm concerned Microsoft lost me caring about future Windows versions after the Vista fiasco, and not for the reason you'd think. They had a lot of cool features that were to be the groundwork for the future and almost all the things got cut just to push it out the door. To this day most of the features hyped still have yet to make an appearance.

Microsoft's just been full of empty promises for a long time. There is literally nothing special about Windows 7 or 8 because they're simply extensions of groundwork that was half-assed laid with Vista. Nobody wants to get hyped because Microsoft has a very poor track record of execution.
 
ManofGod said:
Ah yes, that is right, Microsoft hatred is normal around these forums.
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Subsciption based sounds like a bad idea. Lets hope when that comes out that steam OS matures. I'll def switch to linux then.
 
Again, the rumor it might go subscription-based comes from a known leaker and Russian pirate group called WZOR. This same group has leaked information before about Windows, and sometimes have been correct.

There is supposedly a planned free [cloud-based] version of Windows coming, where extra features may be unlocked for an extra fee or subscription.

It was previously posted on [H] here:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1816570

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1816559

The fear that Microsoft may go to a subscription-only Windows is valid. You just have to look at the industry as a whole and Microsoft as a company, a multibillion dollar company. You also have to look at the PC hardware (non-business) market and compare it to its competition-- mobile devices, Google and Android, Apple and iOS, and so on. Look at what you currently pay a subscription for and especially those from Microsoft. Look also to the direction the market is headed in.

The idea a free Windows OS, cloud-based or not, is just rumor. However, a lot of articles in the past year or so have hinted at this version of Windows coming. The idea there will be a subscription-based Windows first came from WZOR, where extra features may be charged an extra [subscription] fee similar to Office365.

As for a subscription-only Windows coming is still unsubstantiated fear. In my opinion, again my opinion, the reason for Microsoft to go to a subscription-only Windows OS is to maintain a steady revenue stream. Consider Microsoft's competition from Google and Apple compared to their WindowsPhone OS-based handsets, and consider how well (or poorly) the PC market is doing, and how many people are still using operating systems older than Windows 8 and have not moved on. With all factors considered, it is very likely Windows may move to a subscription-based operating system to maintain a steady incoming revenue stream, and it may encompass from consumer to business desktop PCs, with mobile devices getting a free version of the OS. That's my opinion on this just by looking at it from afar.

All of this is still preliminary, and it is still rumor. We have to wait and see, that's all we can do. Maybe the new CEO of Microsoft will change his mind and these ideas of a subscription OS came from Ballmer's term at Microsoft. Or, the market decides what direction Microsoft will take with the next Windows.
 
Unknown-One said:
Hmm, switch to a totally different OS and relearn everything... or buy the boxed copy like I always have.

Decisions, decisions... :rolleyes:

Why dos everyone immediately assume that the subscription version will be the ONLY version? Hasn't been true with Office.
Click to expand...
I thought with Windows 8 relearning everything was wonderful?

Microsoft's greatest undoing with Windows 8 was to annihilate any sense of year over year user stability and prepare people for change. This in addition to pissing many of them off.
 
Subscription based? I'll pass. I like Office 365, but I'd like to buy it on my terms, not 12 months like clockwork. Sometimes, I'll go 16-24 months before upgrading. I am in no rush to buy the latest and greatest. No way I'd want to be forced to (pay up or lose the ability to use your software).

Good for some. Bad for others. I'll take the boxed, offline version. I still have a couple machines running Win7. If it were sub based, I'd be paying up for the Win8.1 update...

I won't switch to Linux over it, but I won't upgrade.
 
Once you are stuck on a subscription, that means they will have less motivation to add new version/features, right? You're just farmed for your money, and MS will only do enough to keep you on the plantation. Hey, people don't need to work harder than they need to. Without subscription, they have to entice windows XP users into buying Vista, Vista into buying 7 (which wasn't that hard), then 7 users into buying 8. But once you're on the farm the whole game changes.
 
What I'm worried about is something like a Windows LE (Limited Edition) at $99 being the only thing we're allowed to buy. You get a base OS that boots to a desktop and the MS store, nothing more. It'd be locked like iOS where you couldn't install ANYTHING not from MS.
Want to listen to music? $20 DLC to allow player plugins and programs.
Want to watch video? Another $20 to be able to have the right to play your video.
Want to game? DirectX 12 for $50, pay up or you can't even run solitaire. We upgrade to 12.1a pay up again, 12.2b, fork over another $50...

"Microtransactions" are getting so far out of control on everything I wouldn't be shocked to see it pop into everything.
Now I'm not saying this is going to happen, what I'm saying is I'm worried we're headed that way and it scares me a little more than subscriptions.
 
Think about it another way: If a lot of people have not adopted or upgraded their computers to Windows 8, and the only other way to get higher Windows 8 adoption rates is to push it through OEM computer makers, then what other option is there for Microsoft to do to maintain a revenue from their bread and butter?

The PC market isn't doing so hot at the moment, and a lot of consumers are sticking to older hardware even if the hardware is two or three years old instead of buying new computers [with Windows 8.1 pre-installed]. A lot of consumers on the desktop PC are still sticking to Windows 7 or even Windows XP because of the drastic change in the UI. Many businesses still have not moved on from Windows XP or 2000 to something newer either. A lot of sales attributed to Windows 8 have come from OEM computer makers like Dell and Lenovo with the OS already on it.

A cloud-based Windows in the future offered for free would be a testing ground for Microsoft, if they offer this. If features are locked out that desktop, non-cloud based Windows enjoy and are offered for an extra subscription or fee, then it'll be something Microsoft would consider. If it works as well as Office365 before it and as well as Xbox Live, then there is always that [small] possibility that Microsoft would consider going all-subscription on the desktop PC, with the free one being relatively crippled.

Just have to look at it from another perspective and think like someone in charge of a multibillion dollar company with products all over the world, yet facing stiff competition from other companies that don't even compete directly with your primary product, and how the market and consumers are reacting to PC hardware, and you will see this from their point of view.

Do I agree with the possibility of a future free and subscription-based Windows? No.

Like Ur_Mom and many others above, I'll take a boxed version of Windows and Office over Windows OS Cloud (or whatever) and Office365.
 
Cloud OS? Wow does that sound like a bad idea.. I bet they will want to have a subscription based service now too.. bah
 
Now, if the subscription part IS the cloud and access to their app store... well then, it might be simple a great deal to have the free version as the 'cloudless' version.
 
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