Soft Forum: Windows Blue build 9319 has been released to Partners.

[PGHammer]

An XP SP2-like service pack. I think it'll be closer to what Windows 98SE was to Windows 98.

Or what OEM Service Release 2 was to Windows 95.

Even though that particular release was aimed at "new-build" PCs, the hardware requirements for OEMSR2 were, in fact, no higher than that of the original Windows 95. Also, most of what was included in this version did become available to everyone else via downloadable updates from Microsoft itself. (The updated Clients for Microsoft and Netware Networks were surprisingly popular.)

[Steven P. Administrators]

Something like a "backpage news" : If you search for windowsblue.com; it was registered by MS in 2012, long before win8 RTM

Well, it seems MS had wanted it to be the winblue site? Then hit windowsblue.com......LOL, seems they lost interest in using this URL afterall. :laugh:

i hope the site hijackers will be required to give it up for nothing, Windows is a protected trademark and people who use it in their site name are dumbasses.

[ZakO]

Something like a "backpage news" : If you search for windowsblue.com; it was registered by MS in 2012, long before win8 RTM

The domain isn't registered by Microsoft, it's just hosted on an IIS web server. Somebody is trying to make a quick buck off Microsoft, hopefully it won't work and said person will lose the domain due to trademark violation.

[FaiKee]

The domain isn't registered by Microsoft, it's just hosted on an IIS web server. Somebody is trying to make a quick buck off Microsoft, hopefully it won't work and said person will lose the domain due to trademark violation.

OIC :)

[FaiKee]

Recently in Neowin news there was report about MS new job listings mentioning "Windows Blue"....

http://www.neowin.ne...oft-job-listing.

LOL, that's old news, because now the MS job listings confirm "Windows (codename) 9" and IE11.

https://careers.microsoft.com/resume...spx?aid=101471

[Steven P. Administrators]

Recently in Neowin news there was report about MS new job listings mentioning "Windows Blue"....

http://www.neowin.ne...oft-job-listing.

LOL, that's old news, because now the MS job listings confirm "Windows (codename) 9" and IE11.

https://careers.microsoft.com/resume...spx?aid=101471

We know ;) https://www.neowin.net/news/windows-9-gets-a-shout-out-from-microsoft-windows-phone-9-pops-up-too

[.Neo]

So Microsoft are aiming for an OS release less than a year after Windows 8? Unless it's free I doubt it, unless they were trying to **** off their customers.

I guess it all depends on pricing. I honestly don't mind Apple's year update cycle if as long as their updates stay ?16.

[FaiKee]

We know ;) http://www.neowin.ne...e-9-pops-up-too

Yeah, just saw that. ....and, cool avatar. :)

[FaiKee]

http://tabtimes.com/news/ittech-os-windows/2013/03/17/windows-blue-could-give-microsoft-tablet-strategy-much-needed

Windows Blue could give Microsoft?s tablet strategy a much needed boost

by Ben Bajarin March 17 2013, 5:45 am Comment

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As an analyst, studying companies and exploring future scenarios related to those companies is a weekly exercise. Although I haven?t quite come to solid conclusions related to how Microsoft gets from where they are today to where they need to be, I do have some ideas.

There is no question that Microsoft?s computing empire is in trouble. In 2008 Microsoft?s Windows OS ran on 95% of all computing devices. According to Forrester estimates, Microsoft Windows software now runs on about 30%.

By our projections, the Android install base will outnumber the install base of all Windows based devices combined by the end of this year.

There has been news of late that Microsoft?s next major update to Windows 8 is codenamed Blue. The biggest bit of speculation around this release is that it will do two things. First it will be less expensive, possibly offering an SKU as low as $45-$50 dollars. And second that it will support tablet screen sizes below 10? and most likely all the way down to 7-inches.

Smaller tablets? Microsoft is MIA

Microsoft has been glaringly absent from the tablet discussion in the white hot 7-8? form factor. My firm estimates that in 2013, sub 10-inch tablets will dominate tablet sales and represent more than 60% of total sales. Windows 8 today can only go as small as 10.1-inches. They are losing ground and offering their partners no solution for the hottest category of tablets.

If Microsoft were smart they would allow Windows Blue to help fill this gap. To do so Microsoft would need a new pricing strategy for screens in the 7? and 8? size range. It should be priced low enough so these new lower cost Microsoft tablets can be priced in the $199-$349.00 range. Most Windows 8 tablets today start at $499. If Microsoft does this, they could finally have a competitive product to Google, Samsung and Amazon.

But they would still not be competing for the ultra low end of the 7? tablet market that is now in the $89.00 to $129.00 price range. Recent reports suggest Microsoft will offer a $20 discount to OEMs for devices below 11.6 making these price points possible.

Return of the netbook?

If that is true and they do offer this lower price point on devices under 11.6-inches then it could also be used in some type of hybrid or clamshell offering for the lower end of the tablet and notebook market.

We are hearing from OEMs that there is interest in using Windows 8, and in this case it would be Blue, in an ultra-thin netbook-like device priced well under $399 that would be available this holiday season.

For that price I doubt it would have a touch-enabled screen in a clamshell-style device, but if it were a tablet with detachable keyboard it would have a touch screen as part of the design. A well designed clamshell with touch screen could possibly be in the $499-$549 range over time.

Big, full-featured tablets aren?t going away

While really cheap tablets will drive much of the tablet growth, there is still big demand for robust tablets with multiple cameras, more memory, faster processors, all priced in the $249-$349 range. At the moment Apple, Samsung, Google own this market, especially with tablets in the 7.9 ? to 8.1? range.

With Windows Blue it would give Microsoft a fighting chance in this low-end tablet space as early as this holiday season. If they do make it possible for OEMs to bring out a low-priced ultrathin clamshell using Windows Blue, it could be a solid product for the consumer market even if it is netbook-ish in nature.

The reason is that the Windows 8 app ecosystem is starting to finally grow, which would make a clamshell like this much more acceptable to the low end consumer market. And of course, it would be able to runs the tens of thousands Windows applications already on the market.

The low end of the market is not a place every OEM is positioned to succeed in, but it is unfortunately the road it looks like Microsoft needs to go down.

I suspect we?ll be hearing more about Windows Blue in the coming months. If Microsoft is smart with Blue, it could boost their partners volumes, help turn around their struggles in tablets, and inject some needed life back into their ecosystem.

Ben Bajarin is Director of the Consumer Technology Practice at Creative Strategies, a strategy consulting firm in Silicon Valley

[George P Global Moderator]

It's been talked about for a few months already that blue will add support for 7" screens, I make it a given now. Also on the other side WP blue should up it's support to 5" and up to 6" so that they come closer together. Add in the ability to run phone apps on your Windows tablet and things get pretty interesting.

[FaiKee]

Purcell School Pioneer(China) already promoting "Get Win8+Win9 For As Low As RMB248"

Purcell School Pioneer

is a Chinese educational organization in working partnership with MS China, they just posted a promote for "Get Win8+Win9 For As Low As RMB248" (about USD40). They provide different yearly plans for different kinds of students, so if you are eligible to enter the lowest-priced plan, you get a win8 Pro....and if win9 is released

within plan validity

, you get a free upgrade.

http://item.shop.edu.cn/brand/microsoft

[FaiKee]

Exclusive: Live demo of Fresh Paint app for Windows Blue, plus more Windows Blue mentions

http://msftkitchen.com/windows-blue-fresh-paint-app-live-demo

[George P Global Moderator]

It sounds like the fresh paint update for windows blue is being done to take advantage of updated or new bits in winrt. All in all it's becoming one of the more bigger apps out there.

[FaiKee]

The new OOBE screen from winblue build 93xx; the 2 color-pick sliders of win8RTM is replaced by a single pick:

http://www.win8china.com/html/4506.html

[sontung57]

Hope it will be available to update for free (from purchased windows 8)

[Roxkis]

Sooo what will windows blue offer to desktop users?

[TPreston]

Sooo what will windows blue offer to desktop users?

REFS read support in enterprise edition please since we are ment to be using this to admin our server 2012 installs.

[George P Global Moderator]

Hope it will be available to update for free (from purchased windows 8)

It should be free for Windows 8 users but I expect them to run another offer for anyone on XP and Windows 7 again. As far as what desktop users get I dunno, we haven't seen enough yet.

[FaiKee]

LOL, the old trick still works. :o

[FaiKee]

Try this in build 9364: windows\system32\; double click "SlideToShutdown.exe" (or enter it in search->apps and launch)........ :)

And, if you are waiting for x64? Maybe, or maybe not, who knows? :cry:

[techbeck]

Seems like a bunch of common sense changes and things that should of been in Windows 8 to begin with.

[siah1214]

Seems like a bunch of common sense changes and things that should of been in Windows 8 to begin with.

Better late than never.

[techbeck]

Better late than never.

Yea, but just shows that Win8 was half assed and not complete when released. Especially since they started working on Blue so quickly. Probably would of been a better release if they included all of this to begin with. People would still complain about things ,but not as much. And this better be a FREE update.

[LittleNeutrino Veteran]

LOL, the old trick still works. :o

probably not the best idea to admit A) Piracy and B) Activating via a fake KMS service.

[FaiKee]

probably not the best idea to admit A) Piracy and B) Activating via a fake KMS service.

I wouldn't have the nerve to post it in Neowin, but when win8 RTM there was a report in Neowin News about the same thing(btw, the pic on that report was also from my PC). So I guess it's OK if I cover the "infos" on the screen-shots. :)