Recent leaks indicate that Windows Blue, Microsoft's forthcoming update to Windows 8, will be coming this summer.
The rumor comes from the Chinese website Win8China, which made two posts about the product over the weekend. The website's first post covers the release of the product, and this is where we are seeing information about the supposed release just a few months from now.
InfoWorld posted a translation on its website: "Windows Blue development has passed Milestone 1. The next milestone is called MP, or "Milestone Preview" because Microsoft will release a preview version of Windows Blue after meeting that milestone. The Milestone Preview will precede the final product by "a few months," so developer and early adopters can work with it. Win8China claims that RTM is scheduled for June 7, at which point Blue will be made available on MSDN, followed by general availability in August. Blue will be free to Win8 customers."
The second post deals more specifically with the product's features. "Windows Blue will be faster, use less power, and run with a new, smaller kernel, version 6.3 (recall that Win8 runs kernel 6.2)," the post reads. "The UI hasn't changed - presumably for smaller (and larger?) screen sizes. There's some talk of 'multi screen applications,' although in the context it isn't clear if that refers to Metro apps. Not much change for PC and mouse users."
In addition to the posts, Win8China released a photo allegedly depicting Internet Explorer 11, a Web browser that Windows Blue will support.
These rumors, as always, should be taken with a grain of salt. Keep in mind, however, that Win8China published unusually accurate information on Windows 8 during the time it was being developed. Along with Winunleaked, the site was almost always correct.
Industry experts disagree on whether the release of Windows Blue is a good strategic move on Microsoft's part. The company released Windows 8 on Oct. 26, 2012 to mixed reviews.
