Reports indicate that Microsoft is working on another Windows client under the codename Windows Blue. Some recent information leaked out inadvertently in a couple of recent Microsoft Careers job listings.
One of the job posts refers to developing the Windows user interface as a software development engineer, including the start screen, personalization and the overall look of the operating system. "Windows Blue promises to build and improve upon these aspects of the OS, enhancing ease of use and the overall user experience on devices and PCs worldwide," said the job listing.
In another job post, the Mobile Excel Office team seeks "seasoned development lead who is willing to re-imagine the Excel experiences for the next version of Windows Phone ... to help realize the vision of a high-quality Excel app for Windows Phone Blue," said the listing.
Rumors about Windows Blue have been circulating for months and tips and clues are slowly being revealed. As reported by ZDnet earlier this month, Blue will be a "feature pack" of Windows OS updates and will be developed for Windows 8, Windows Server 2012 and Windows Phone 8. Hotmail, SkyDrive and other Windows services will also receive updates. Blue is expected to arrive later this year, within six or seven months.
New programming interfaces are expected to occur on Windows Phone along with updated features changing the user experience. Windows Blue will most likely not be an entirely new version of Windows 8 but will be more like a reloaded version, not Windows 9. Speculations are not defining it as another standard service pack update, possibly due to the advance changes to the user interface and not just the inner workings of the software.
A genuine copy of Windows is required to upgrade to Windows Blue; built-in apps will stop working if an update occurs on an operating system that is anything but genuine. It's alleged that even with the update, Windows 8 will be referred to as the same, and Microsoft plans to have yearly updates for the OS. Microsoft usually offers majors updates to its platforms every two or three years. To remain competitive against Apple and Google, an annual update cycle will give Microsoft an edge.
