Windows 9 screenshots surface

There has been a lot of hype around Windows 9 and Microsoft has been probably receiving millions of suggestions either asking them to go back to the Windows 7 look or to stay with live tiles and the Windows 8 look. New screenshots have been leaked online, showing that Microsoft might have paid attention to all of our cries and demands and might have come up with something that stands right in the middle: Windows 9 (Threshold).

Windows 9 in the leaked screenshots courtesy of ComputerBase.de, looks great, in my opinion. The screenshots were taken of a developer version of Windows 9, so the end result might not be the same. The technical preview that the guys at ComputerBase got a hold of is a version that was supposed to be released to developers in October, according to previous reports. We don’t know how Windows 9 got in their hands, but we’re kind of glad it did.

Windows 9 looks great and Microsoft seems to have found a middle ground between what Windows 7 and Windows 8 looked like. Many were discontent with Windows 8 and the lack of a Start menu, so Microsoft, as you can see in the photos, has brought it back. I’m not delighted to see that scroll-bar on the left side because it stands out a bit too much, but I’m glad the taskbar is back. In essence, Windows 9 will incorporate the flat, single-tone visuals of Metro in the classic Windows desktop, and I think that was the correct route for Microsoft.

 In the taskbar of Windows 9A magnifying glass tool has been added for seach, next to the Windows home key. There is also a dedicated ‘virtual desktop’ next to the search key. Icons have also been tweaked to fit the flat lines of the new visual style of the OS. There’s also a new notification center and the Start panel has metro-styled icons. 

Windows 9 will probably be released at the beginning of 2015, but by the looks of it, an official announcement might be coming sooner than that. Until then, another developer preview will be released in October and a Windows 8.2 update might show up. What do you think about the screenshot? Would you like Windows 9 to like that or do you prefer another style?