It may seem like Windows 8.1 was only released a short while ago, but Microsoft has apparently set itself the goal of delivering Windows 9 by April 2015, if the rumours and leaks coming out of Redmond can be believed.
With PC sales still declining and many vendors pointing the finger at Windows 8 and 8.1 for putting buyers off, Microsoft has its work cut out to correct the perceived shortcomings in its platform and make Windows 9 as compelling as previous versions such as Windows XP and Windows 7.
With this in mind, we've put together a list of things we think Windows 9 should have in order to stem the tide of buyers opting for an iPad or a Chromebook instead.
10. Better notifications for desktop apps
Windows 8 live tileWindows' notification system has been inconsistent, and can be a large annoyance at times. Icons on the taskbar repeatedly flash orange, balloons pop up from the system tray on the bottom-right of the screen and fade away slowly. With Windows 8, noisy, coloured rectangles appear at the top-right of the screen whenever a "Modern UI" app has something to say.
While it's good to see that the Modern UI has a notification API in place, we would dearly love to see the same thing happen for more traditional desktop-based apps. Smartphone operating systems including Windows Phone 8, Android and iOS are well ahead of the game with dedicated notification areas where messages stack up and are easy to look through. We'd love to see something like this for Windows 9.
9. Gesture controls
Microsoft Xbox One console and kinectMicrosoft can claim to be one of the pioneers in bringing gesture control technology to the masses thanks to the huge success of its Kinect gaming platform.
Apple has since bought PrimeSense, the company that helped kickstart the use of this technology, and Microsoft has brought its development of motion control kit in-house. It could really steal a march on the market if it could include such capabilities in Windows 9 as standard.
Theoretically, Windows 8 can already support gesture control, although no-one has yet implemented this within any devices. The use of such controls is also a little beyond the needs of most people at present.
However, if Microsoft wants to re-establish its position as the king of the operating system, then a fully fledged, easy-to-use motion control desktop platform would be the way to do it.
8. Bring back Gadgets
Get new gadgets step 3Gadgets made their debut in the much-maligned Windows Vista. A dedicated area that could be placed to the right or left of a user's desktop, the Gadgets pane allowed geekier types to download and install useful tools such as CPU performance and network speed monitoring. Little calendar and clock widgets, as well as shortcuts to Windows functions were also available, and highly useful for many power users.
In 2012 Microsoft warned all users that they should uninstall all of their Gadgets because they were not secure, which wasn't a great PR move for the firm or the Gadgets. But they were the first foray into what are now the Modern UI's Live Tiles, which display live information such as news and weather. Incorporating these back into the desktop would be a welcome addition, combining the flexibility of the desktop with the simplicity of the Modern interface.
7. Better scaling on large displays
Windows 8 Consumer Preview Start menuJust one of the many criticisms levelled at Windows 8 and 8.1 is the way that the display scales on different devices with differing resolutions and screen sizes. The general consensus seems to be that Windows does not handle this well.
Because the Metro-style user interface borrows heavily from Microsoft's Windows Phone platform, it seems appropriate and looks fine on smaller devices such as the new crop of 8in tablets, but on large-screen devices, the massive tiles can look ridiculous.
Hopefully, Microsoft will resolve this in Windows 9, or at least offer users greater manual control over how the display scales on each device they own.
6. Longer battery life
Windows battery life indicatorOne of the reasons Microsoft gave for introducing its Metro-style environment in Windows 8 was to deliver new APIs that enabled tighter control over power consumption, in order to extend the battery life of devices such as tablets.
However, Microsoft has only really succeeded at delivering all-day battery life on ARM-based devices running the much-reviled Windows RT version of the platform. On systems with an x86 processor, battery life stubbornly remains below eight hours unless you have an outsize battery.
Despite the effort Microsoft has put into power management, we feel there is room for improvement here. Whether the software giant can deliver it by early next year remains to be seen.
5. Higher quality of apps in the Windows Store
the notification of a successful app install in windows 8One of the biggest things hampering Windows 8 is its lack of decent apps. Despite Windows 8's touch focus, to date developers have largely been uninterested in creating applications for the Windows Store. Instead, the developer community's focus has stayed squarely focused on the more profitable iOS and Android platforms.
This has meant that early adopters of Windows 8 tablets have been left woefully understocked when it comes to dedicated touch applications. Worse still, thanks to the closed nature of the Store, users have also regularly been left waiting for months at a time to see popular applications and services debuted on Android and iOS ported to Windows 8 or they don't reach Windows 8 at all.
For this reason we're hoping Microsoft's going to pull its finger out and work harder to ignite interest in the Windows Store and treat users to the marketplace they've been waiting for.
4. Better devices to show off capabilities
Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2As much as we hate to say it, no matter how wonderful a piece of software or operating system is, for the average Joe, if it isn't running on a compelling device it won't succeed. This was showcased to great effect by Microsoft when it unveiled its first run of Surface machines. While the original Surfaces bristled with enterprise appeal, their hardware and designs just weren't as sleek or interesting as their Android and iOS competitors.
This meant, despite having the potential to act as full-on laptop replacements, sales of the original Surface models never really took off. For this reason, we're hoping Microsoft is going to go back to the drawing board for its next run of hybrid tablet-laptop devices and debut Windows 9 on a device capable of showing off its best assets.
3. Merge existing Windows platforms
mergeWindows 8, Windows RT, Windows Phone 8 its all a bit confusing and must be a hassle for Microsoft to manage three different platforms, despite them all looking broadly similar and offering similar functions.
With Windows 9, Microsoft should look to do away with the different platforms and harmonise them all under one brand and build. This would not only help to ensure all platforms are running with up-to-date capabilities, but it would make it easier for users to move between devices with ease.
Apple and Google are both facing this challenge, with both possibly inching towards bringing their iOS/Mac and Android/Chrome platforms closer together after numerous management reshuffles last year, so the race appears to be on to do this first. Microsoft could secure another coup if it manages to bring this together with Windows 9.
2. Legacy desktop and Metro environments on more of an equal footing
Microsoft has allowed an early peek at Windows 7With the launch of Windows 8, Microsoft deliberately tried to de-emphasise the desktop environment for "legacy" applications, forcing everyone to use the Metro-style user interface whether they liked it or not.
The problem is that few genuinely useful Metro-style applications exist, but users are frustratingly forced to launch even desktop applications from the tiled Start screen.
For Windows 9, we would like to see Microsoft put the two environments on more of an even footing, giving users a choice. Some rumours point to the Metro-style apps being run on top of the desktop, which could provide an acceptable compromise for Windows veterans.
1. The real return of the Start button and Start menu
Start menu on XPWhen Microsoft first disclosed the improvements coming in its Windows 8.1 update, many people were quick to shout, "Return of the Start button!" Of course, it was no such thing: Microsoft merely placed a Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the Desktop, over the hotspot that takes you back to the Metro Start screen.
This and the old-fashioned Start menu seen in Windows 7 are the two most important items that Microsoft needs to implement in a future Windows 9, unless it wants users to simply shrug and carry on ignoring it.
While Microsoft improved the way that apps can be accessed in Windows 8.1, it is still confusing and non-intuitive for apps that are not shown in the tiles on the main screen. Microsoft's customers have spoken loudly and clearly, and what they want is the Start menu.
Tags: Operating Systems, Tablets, Laptops, Microsoft, Windows 8, Windows 9, next Os, O.S
Source: V3co
