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Windows 9 preview may not arrive until October

Microsoft’s Windows 9 preview build may not be released until October, according to a new report.

The company will debut its new OS, currently going by the name Threshold, on September 30. It was widely expected that Microsoft would make a technical preview version available to business customers at this point.

However, according to a new report from Paul Thurrott, a journalist with strong ties to Microsoft, that preview will not arrive until October.

In his Winsupersite post, Thurrott offered un update on what to expect from the Windows 9 preview. He confirms that Microsoft is reinstating the Start menu, which will combine some of the functionality of the Windows 7 Start menu (its last outing) and some of the features we’ve been using on the Windows 8.1 Start screen.

One such feature will be the ability to pin apps, folders, and contacts to the Start menu.

Windows 9 will apparently retain those modern mobile apps from Windows 8, and the Windows Store will apparently remain pretty much unchanged. However, those modern apps themselves will operate in floating windows on the desktop.

That contentious Charm UI system will still be in operation, but only for those using the new OS on touch-enabled systems. Mouse users need never lay their eyes on it again, it seems.

The report also confirms that Microsoft is looking to provide frequent preview builds with a new pinpoint feedback system.

We should know more for sure from September 30.

Read More: Microsoft Surface Pro 3 review

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