Microsoft is to unveil Windows 9 in April in an effort to step up its game in the increasingly competitive market for tablet and laptop computers, according to a report Monday by prominent Microsoft blogger Paul Thurrott.<\/p>\n
The report said that the software giant was pushing through the upgrade to mitigate the poor reception of Windows 8.<\/p>\n
That operating system, first release in 2012, attempts to bridge the gap between traditional Windows laptops and tablets powered by Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android.<\/p>\n
But it has been largely shunned by consumers unsure of how to use the hybrid software.<\/p>\n
According to Thurrott the new OS would address the biggest criticism of Windows 8, the absence of the traditional start menu.<\/p>\n
It would also reintroduce the old-style desktop which was ditched in favour of Microsoft’s confusing Metro design, the report said.<\/p>\n
The new design, codenamed “Threshold”, will be unveiled at Microsoft’s BUILD developer conference in April, with plans to release the software to market a year later, the report said.<\/p>\n
The company is searching for a replacement for outgoing CEO Steve Ballmer.<\/p>\n
He announced his departure last year following widespread criticism for failing to prepare the PC-reliant company for the switch to smartphones and tablet computers.<\/p>\n
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