As we mentioned in a previous post, Microsoft plans to release a preview version of Windows 9 later this year. As for the final version, according to Russian leaker Wzor we have to wait for it at the beginning of 2015.
And while Windows 9 previews are on their way, Microsoft is considering releasing the new functional system in April 2015.
According to Wzor, it looks like Windows 9 will have a completely new system activations, which Microsoft decided to develop after the piracy problems it faced in China (and beyond).
You may have heard that Steve Ballmer, a former Microsoft CEO, reported that in China, 9 from 10 copies of Windows is pirated, something that clearly knows Redmond and looks for ways to address the problem in future versions of Windows.
Ο Satya Nadella, the company's new CEO, aims to make Windows 9 hard to crack. So Microsoft developers are trying to develop a completely new activation system that will set a special license for each specific computer.
Although this sounds like a very drastic measure (with dubious results) it seems that this is the way Microsoft will use in Windows 9. The company is also studying the possibility of offering the new OS for free to legitimate owners of Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and Windows 8.1 Update 2.
Wzor reported that the development of the new activation system has already begun, but because this technology will make major changes to the operating system, the development of Windows 9 is likely to be delayed.
Of course, all of the above, though meaningful, are rumors. Microsoft has not yet announced anything official about Windows 9, but a good date that could happen is at the Worldwide Partner Conference starting July 13.
