Microsoft China inadvertently confirmed my report from January this morning, posting to the Weibo social networking service that Windows 9 was "coming soon." It was even nice enough to briefly post a Windows 9 logo, though that was of course quickly pulled.
I was the first to report that Microsoft planned to market "Threshold" as Windows 9 and make a (marketing, not technical) break with the Windows 8 past. Since then, of course, Microsoft has gone back and forth with regards to this release while briefly considered pulling out a few key features like the Start menu and releasing them earlier. But with Windows 9/Threshold now on track as a big bang release that will put Windows 8 in the rear view mirror, things are again aligning along the original schedule. And it seems that Threshold will indeed be called Windows 9, as originally planned.
Microsoft China's faux pas was first caught by the Chinese technology enthusiasts at cnBeta. A translate version of their post reads as follows:
"Today, Microsoft accidentally leaked the tone. At noon today, @ Microsoft China has released a micro-Bo: 'Microsoft's latest operating system Windows 9 upcoming release, we guess, will appear in the lower left corner of the Start menu, what?""
So that's very clear. :)
There's been a ton of Windows 9/Threshold news and rumors over the past month but of course this is all spiraling towards the September 30 reveal. More as it comes in...
