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Russian leaker WZor has been leaking Windows 9 “news” all week.
That “news” may or may not be true. But WZor recently stated his biggest rumor yet: Microsoft will reveal Windows 9 “Threshold” next week at its Worldwide Partner Conference 2014.
Microsoft is also planning to reveal Windows 8.1 Update 2 at that conference. Update 2 is expected to be released in August 2014.
According to WZor, Windows 8.1 Update 2 will be the final Windows 8 release before Microsoft starts hyping up Windows 9.
Personally, I can’t see Microsoft unveiling changes in Windows 8.1 Update 2 before moving onto a big announcement like Windows 9. That doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense.
Other important news to get from the WZor leak include:
-Microsoft is expected to offer a preview version of Windows 9 later this fall
-A full Windows 9 retail release is expected in Q2 or Q3 of 2015
-Microsoft wants to fix the brand damage done by Windows 8 and will invest heavily into Windows 9 marketing, with a major focus on the return of the Start button and Start menu
-Microsoft will change the Windows 9 activation method to combat piracy problems in China and the developing world. Specifically, users will need to log into the Microsoft Store to activate the platform.
WZor is a well-known Russian leaker and has leaked official Microsoft news in the past, so this isn’t some random Russian guy trying to make a name for himself. Obviously, we don’t know if any of his information will come true, but we will know for sure by the end of next week.