In addition to announcing updated sales numbers for it’s Windows 8 operating system, Microsoft has revealed that it will make a preview version of it’s next update to Windows 8, Windows Blue available to the public at it’s BUILD Conference this June.
Possible Windows Blue features and changes have been leaking for months. So far the company seems to be attempting to deal with a lot of the hassle that comes along with owning a Windows 8 device, mainly the dual nature of the Metro interface and the Desktop. Leaked improvements include an integrated SkyDrive application for syncing files and settings automatically, the inclusion of more settings into the Metro environment, and new system requirements that should allow the operating system to ship or devices with smaller screens than 10.1 inches. According to a post at Blogging Windows, this will be a public preview, meaning even those not in attendance at the BUILD will be able to download the operating system and install it on their machines.
Microsoft plans to make a final version of Windows Blue available to users sometime this fall.
This morning the company announced that it had sold 100 million licenses of Windows 8, making it as much of a hot seller as it’s predecessor, Windows 7. That’s certainly isn’t bad news for Microsoft, the company has had a constant battle with critics over the popularity and usability of Windows 8 since it was released last October. Regardless, the company remains quiet on actual Windows 8 activation numbers and since these licensing could have been used on PCs that haven’t been sold to consumers, we’ll have to wait to pass judgment on how the operating system is performing.
BUILD is scheduled to begin June 26th and conclude on June 28th.