Oh boy, remember all the days when Windows 8 screenshots (and builds) leaked out in the media regularly? Well, we may be a (country) mile away from a build leak, but a screen grab of the in-development Windows 9 may just have popped up.
Oh, and as always, take this with a grain or two of salt, maybe even a spoonful.
A post over at MicrosoftPortal.net includes a screenshot that shows a new Windows build — with an updated Kernel version number. The version number shown on the screenshot is Kernel version 6.3, which reportedly is set to debut with Windows 9.
Windows 8, on the other hand, relies on Kernel 6.2 and comes with a build 9200 label, so this image may very well point to the next Windows update.
We already know that development on Windows 9 begun a little while back.
Still, no guarantees that this is indeed an early version of Windows 9, but rumors have been gathering pace that Microsoft is working on two distinct updates to its Windows operating system.
One such update is known as Windows Blue, which apparently is set to see the light of day in August 2013. Windows 9, going by Microsoft’s traditional release cycle could have a public launch in 2015. That would make it exactly three years after Windows 8 hit store shelves.
Then again, some rumors are signaling an early arrival — maybe even in 2014.
But unless Microsoft comes clean on both new versions under development, the lines between both new versions will remain blurred. Oh well, we can enjoy these images leaks until then. No, I’m not complaining.