Microsoft may have confirmed that it is working on a Windows 8 update currently called Windows Blue, but that's about all it's confirmed. Details are slim to none, but leaks have given people plenty to think about. This week, leaks suggested that Windows Blue will officially be renamed to Windows 8.1, and now analysts are wondering what that'll mean.
To us, changing the name from Windows Blue to Windows 8.1 may not seem like a big deal (though it does sound like a downgrade, if you ask me), but at least a few analysts think it's actually quite significant. They just don't know in what way yet.
"With Blue, does that mean to get support on Window 8, I have to have Blue?" Michael Cherry, a Directions on Microsoft analyst, said to Computer World, referring to Windows 8.1 by its codename.
Another analyst at the same firm, Rob Helm, wondered what Windows 8.1 Blue will mean for Microsoft's support plans.
"Is the new release going to be required for support, like service packs have been?" Helm asked. "Will Microsoft restart the [10-year] support clock? Will Blue expire from support the same day as Windows 8, or will it expire a year later than Windows 8?"
"And what apps will be able to run on Blue?" he added. "Will some come out that won't run without Blue? Microsoft's done that at times with service packs."
Of course, considering that Microsoft hasn't really announced anything about Windows 8.1 Blue, it's not really surprising that none of these questions have been answered yet. It's expected that Windows 8.1 Blue will be detailed later this summer, with a potential release afterwards.
