Windows 9 screenshots leak out

After what many call a Windows 8 fiasco, Windows 9 will define the future of Microsoft: will it continue with the Metro (or rather, Modern) user interface, or will it switch back to the tried and tested style of before? Now, we have the answer as one of the first screenshots of Windows 9 have leaked out, showing what the new OS could look like.

The Windows 9 screenshots below come from two German site that have gotten them from an alleged “Windows Technical Preview”. That preview should go live to developers in October, and it will incorporate the flat, single-tone visuals of Metro into the classic Windows desktop.

Screenshots leak from the “Windows Technical Preview”

First, let’s take a look at the changes in the taskbar. You’d notice the magnifying glass for search, a new tool that appears alongside the Windows home key. There is also a dedicated ‘virtual desktop’ button that sits next to the search key.

Traditional icons have also been tweaked slightly to fit better the flat lines of the new visual style for Windows. There’s also a new notification center and the Start panel is enriched with metro-styled icons. All in all, this will be an update that classic Windows desktop users will like: it refreshes the operating system’s style without breaking the functionality.

source: Computer Base (translated), WinFuture (translated)