Member Article

Where is Windows 9?

Mick Keeble is head of managed services at Perfect Image – a North East-based IT services consultancy. Here he discusses the theories around Microsoft missing Windows 9 and why number 10 might be better for mobile users.

Picture your normal working day. What does it look like? Chances are you’ll be checking emails while drinking your morning coffee at home, reading news items relevant to your field of work during the commute into the office, and responding to instant messaging while taking a walk on your lunch break.

This is known as a mobile workstyle. Think about it, the traditional 9am to 5pm working day has changed. We no longer sit at the same desk all day, every day. Rather, we’re out and about living in an ‘always on’ environment with very little downtime, and so we want to be able to use our IT systems when we want, where we want and how we want.

Next question. What device or indeed devices are you using as part of your mobile workstyle? Are you an Apple user – in which case you’ll be staying connected on-the-go with an iPad or iPhone? Or are you a Microsoft fan? If you’re the latter, you’re probably aware that Windows 10 is coming to the market soon, but you may also be wondering, where has Windows 9 gone?

When Microsoft unveiled its newest operating system, people weren’t surprised about the new development, rather, the surprise was that Windows would be skipping number nine and heading straight to 10. The truth is, no-one actually knows why this is the case (when asked about the Windows 10 name, Microsoft never really gave a clear answer), but there is certainly a lot of speculation.

Some people in the industry think that it’s to do with the coding. In essence, one theory is that when a computer is ‘reading its instructions’, if Windows 9 did exist, the systems would become confused and actually think it was supposed to be running a much earlier version of the programme such as Windows 95 or 98 – certainly not designed to support a mobile workstyle.

On the complete polar opposite of the scale, one contributor to an IT and tech forum suggested that the number nine is thought to be unlucky in Japan. Considering Microsoft has a significant presence and market share in the country, the corporation may have skipped Windows 9 to avoid alienating a portion of its potential customers. Apparently, a Japanese company actually skipped version nine of its antivirus software for this exact reason, so this could partly be true.

Another school of thought explaining the jump from Windows 8 to Windows 10 (minus Windows 9) is more of a strategic decision by Microsoft. It’s been well documented that users experienced several interface issues when using Windows 8 on mobile devices, forcing users to change how they used their devices – not exactly helpful when we rely on this technology as part of our daily lives.

It’s expected that Windows 10 will bring together integration and unification with its desktop counterpart. So with Windows 8, the start screen was a swathe of tiles that many people disliked, but with Windows 10, the trusty ‘start’ button will reappear on the mobile device screen – something that users will feel more comfortable with as they’ve been conditioned to this usability through years of using Windows on a desktop.

Consequently, in unveiling Windows 10, Microsoft is distancing the new operating system from the issues with Windows 8, in a bid to emphasise the shift in focus towards the mobile market, making the devices much easier and simpler to use.

So where is Windows 9? The answer is not here. Why? No one is really sure. One thing, however, is for sure. If you’re a Microsoft user, you’ll find checking emails while drinking your morning coffee at home, reading news items relevant to your field of work during the commute into the office, and responding to instant messaging while taking a walk on your lunch break a whole lot easier thanks to Windows 10.

To find out more about Perfect Image and how you can integrate a mobile workstyle into your use of IT, visit: http://www.perfect-image.co.uk/

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Perfect Image .