More Windows 9 Rumors: 1-Click Upgrades, Interactive Tiles, Notification Center

Rumors about the Next Major Version of Windows, Continue to Trickle Out in the Run Up to an Anticipated Public Preview in September. Neowin Reports that, Internal Builds of the Operating System Currently Sport a 1-Click Upgrade Feature to Update from One Build to the Next. While there's No Guarantee that such a Feature will Necessarily Ship, it Would be Consistent with Microsoft's Move to More Rapid Releases and Continuous Improvement rather than Infrequent Major Updates. Currently, Upgrading Windows is a Major Undertaking. During Betas and Previews, there's Often No Good Ability to Move from One Build to the Next without Performing a Full Reinstall. Even When Moving between Stable Versions, Upgrading Can be Failure-Prone and Time-Consuming.


While it's Possible that, the Upgrade Capability will be Limited to Previews, it Looks like a Strong Indication that Microsoft Wants to Make this Process Easier. WinBeta Writes that, there will be a Stricter Division between Different Device User Interfaces. Devices that Don't Need the Desktop Won't Have it, Sticking to a Derivative of the Metro Interface in their Entirety. The Website also Says that, on Devices that do Have a Desktop, there Won't be Any "Modern UI", though What this Means Isn't Entirely Clear. The New Start Menu will, according to WinBeta, still be Able to Work like the Start Screen currently does for those Who Prefer it (or for Devices like the Surface Pro 3, Where this Makes a Lot of Sense) — which Certainly Sounds like a "Modern UI" to us.


It Might Mean that, there are No Full-Screen Metro Applications, though this Would Seem a Little Strange Given that Full-Screen Applications are Successfully Used on Other Desktop Operating Systems such as OS X. According to WinBeta, the Live Tiles on the Start Screen (and Start Menu) will be Smarter, Able to Support Certain Kinds of Interaction without Having to Open an Application. A Notification Center is also Believed to be Part of the Next Operating System and there Should be Greater Customization Options. However, according to Another Report by Neowin, the Public Preview May Not Include this New User Interface Element Work Anyway. The Builds currently Doing the Rounds are Labeled "Windows Technical Preview for Enterprise" and as such, these are Most Likely Desktop Oriented.




Info Sources:

http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-threshold-rapid-release-is-getting-really-interesting

http://www.winbeta.org/news/windows-9-threshold-welcome-modern-ui-20

http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-threshold-technical-preview-for-enterprise-heres-what-to-expect