Microsoft is already working on the next version of Windows, but hold you horses because it might not be what you think. You would guess Windows 9 but according to people familiar with the matter Microsoft seems to be working on an interim release of Windows 8 called Windows Blue.
Typically Microsoft releases Windows in big steps. Time between releases is large and the updates are quite significant. All that is set to change as rumours of Windows Blue circulate inside the industry.
Windows Blue is sort of an interim low-cost release Microsoft is said to be working on. It neither a service pack nor a big Windows release, it’s rather in between them. The pricing will be low, possibly free, to ensure that users get onboard. Once Windows Blue is on shelves Microsoft will simply drop the old SDK thus ending all development on the old platform. Developers will be forced to develop on Blue.
The idea behind this is a yearly update cycle similar to Apple’s approach, the price structure also sounds familiar. Microsoft is believed to be aiming at a mid-2013 release for Blue.
Image Source: BGR