Microsoft is quickly and quietly developing Windows version 8.1, the first major upgrade to its flagship operating system set for release sometimes this summer.
Various builds of the upcoming OS are being tested by Microsoft partners and other developers.
The newest one to make an appearance is Windows 8.1 build 9379. This particular version has been sent to a select few for testing purposes. And while an ISO image of this new version has not yet made its way to the web, several new screenshots, on the other hand, have.
You can take a look at the screen grabs of the 32-bit version of this new build here.
While there are no details yet on what new improvements build 9379 brings, do keep in mind that this is just a minor version number upgrade to previous builds, meaning there is a fair chance that there are only small enhancements under the hood.
And as you can see from the image above, no Start button has been implemented by Microsoft.
If users are to be treated to a Start button (or Start Menu for that matter), then chances are that Redmond will most likely introduce this particular feature in (or closer to) the first public beta that is expected to be available by the time this year’s BUILD developer conference gets underway in late June.
The final version of Windows 8.1 is, of course, slated for launch two months after the unveiling of the public beta — meaning, sometimes between August and September this year.
