It looks like Microsoft will be busting out Windows 9 at the end of next month. Sources tell The Verge that the company will do a developers preview on September 30 of what is now being called Windows "Threshold," but will probably be known as Windows 9 by the time it is released to market.
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Sources and leaks point to Windows 9 being a throwback to older, more stable versions of Windows instead of the touch-obsessed Windows 8 that's currently out there. The Surface tablet and the touchscreen-enabled laptops did not meet Redmond's ambitious expectations, so the news of a less flashy version of Windows is welcome to many PC users.
The preview will give everyone a look at the new mini Start menu in the latest version, which also does away with the Charms bar and seems to include the first iteration of Cortana, but it isn't clear if Microsoft's digital assistance will be ready by the time of the demonstration.
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The preview will come at a turbulent time for the company, with Microsoft transferring the chief executive office from Steve Ballmer to Satya Nadella. Earlier this week, Ballmer (a Microsoft employee for 35 years) announced he was also stepping down from the company's board of directors. Oh yea, the company is also in the process of laying off 18,000 employees, one of the biggest layoffs in American history.