Yesterday we saw some more screenshots of Windows Blue, and information surfaced about a planned public Milestone Preview version that's replacing Milestone 2 in the development cycle of the update. Now, again thanks to Win8China, more information has come to light about what we can expect in Windows Blue, and when we can expect it.
The Milestone Preview will come with the previously reported update to the kernel, bringing the version to 6.3 alongside several improvements. Reports say the kernel will be more deeply optimized, allowing for faster boot times, a smaller disk footprint and better power consumption; however, the actual UI will not be significantly altered compared to Windows 8.
Scaling of Modern UI apps will be improved as well with Windows Blue, likely to accommodate smaller tablets in the 7-8 inch range, although the changes could also help those with higher-resolution displays. The Verge also has information that claims search will be greatly improved in Blue, with the Bing team working to add new features to the Charm: this includes the possibility to have search recommend apps to play content such as videos, and also deep search of app content outside of the app.
If these rumors are to be believed, we should be expecting the Milestone Preview in the coming months, with an RTM phase to start in June followed by general availability in August. The update will reportedly be free for all current Windows 8 users, and it will be bundled into all new Windows products following the launch of Blue.
Source: Win8China (1) | (2) | The Verge via: Windows4Live
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