Is this the end of Windows 8? If recent reports in the tech media are to be believed, the much-maligned Windows operating system might be meeting its end. InfoWorld writer Woody Leonhard recently rounded up the rumors. If what he's found holds true, Windows 8 might soon get replaced by a trio of new products.
The rumors
Leonhard’s story concentrates on Threshold, the name that Microsoft is allegedly using for its next wave of Windows update. According to Leonhard, the goal of Threshold is to help consumers to perform high-level activities across all Microsoft platforms, Windows, Windows RT, Windows Phone and Xbox. If the company can achieve this goal, Leonhard writes, it could be a good step toward removing the bad taste left by Windows 8.
What’s coming
Leonhard cites published stories by such tech sites as ZDNet to point out that Microsoft will soon be unveiling three new Threshold-level versions of Windows. The first will be a modernized Metro consumer version. There will also be a traditional consumer version and an Enterprise version centered on business users.
An updated Windows 7?
Leonhard hopes that the Threshold versions of Windows will in fact be updated versions of Windows 7. This makes sense: Most users liked Windows 7 because it was easy to navigate and so efficient. In contrast, Windows 8 is a clunker. If the new versions of Windows take what worked well in Windows 7 and makes these traits work even better? Leonhard writes that this would be a big win for consumers.