UPDATED 06:35 EDT / APRIL 23 2014

Microsoft rumor mill: New update & cloud-based OS on the way?

Windows CloudMicrosoft is going hell for leather to get people to like its Windows 8.1 operating system, and to that end it’s said to be planning yet another update for this fall. One of the more extravagant rumors is that this could be followed by a new, cloudy version of the OS that’s entirely free to use.

These whisperings come by way of sketchy Russian pirate group WZor, via the Myce digital storage site.

The text of the leak was machine translated, but from what we can make out, the new update will come with Microsoft’s redesigned Start Menu, of which we saw a teaser at this month’s Build 2014 conference. Start Menu lovers won’t be entirely thrilled though, as it’s nothing like the classic navigation menu of previous Windows editions, but instead a kind of hybrid of the old menus and Windows 8’s Start Screen with mini-tiles for various apps and options.

Twice-yearly release

 

If an update really does come this fall, it would appear that Microsoft is following a strategy of updating its flagship OS every six months. The first update was Windows 8.1 in October 2013, almost a year after the original Windows 8 launched, and this was followed by the confusingly named Windows 8.1 Update in April this year. Assuming a six month gap between updates, we can expect the new one to appear in October. This is in line with Steve Ballmer’s earlier promise of a “rapid release” schedule for Windows, though it might upset some of Microsoft’s bigger customers who’re unable to cope with such a heavy schedule of updates.

No name has been chosen for the update yet, with WZor reporting there’s a bit of a squabble at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, WA about whether to call it Windows 8.1 Update 2 or change to something a bit less confusing.

Windows Cloud: A pie in the sky?

 

By far and away the more intriguing rumor is WZor’s quite outlandish claim Microsoft is preparing to release a stripped-down, cloud-based version of its OS tentatively dubbed “Windows Cloud”. WZor offers pretty scant details of how this might work, but essentially it would offer around the same level of functionality as something like Windows 7 Starter Edition, the low-end version of its previous OS that appeared on a few cheap and cheerful netbook models. However, users would be able to add extra features by subscribing to Microsoft.

As to the whole point of such a design, readers will have to make their own minds up about that. To be honest, the whole idea of a “Windows Cloud” does seem a bit far-fetched, but then again, WZor has a history of getting things right – its released leaks of numerous pre-releases of Windows in the past, and most recently was the first to come up with screenshots of the first Windows 8.1 Update.

photo credit: peasap via photopin cc

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