As we reported in a previous post, Microsoft is planning to release a preview version of Windows 9 later this year. As for the final version, according to Russian leaker Wzor, we should expect it in early 2015.
And while the Windows 9 preview is on its way, Microsoft is considering releasing the new operating system in April 2015.
According to Wzor, it appears that Windows 9 will have a completely new activation system, which Microsoft decided to develop after the piracy problems it faced in China (and beyond).
You may have heard that Steve Ballmer, former CEO of Microsoft, said that in China, 9 out of 10 copies of Windows are pirated, something that Redmond is clearly aware of and is looking for ways to address the problem in future versions of Windows.
Satya Nadella, the company's new CEO, has a goal of making Windows 9 difficult to crack. So Microsoft developers are trying to develop an entirely new activation system that will set a specific license for each specific computer.
While this sounds like a very drastic measure (with questionable results), it seems that this is the approach Microsoft will take with Windows 9. The company is also considering offering the new operating system for free to legitimate owners of Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and Windows 8.1 Update 2.
Wzor said that development of the new activation system has already begun, but because this technology will bring major changes to the operating system, the development of Windows 9 will likely be delayed.
Of course, all of the above, while making sense, are just rumors. Microsoft hasn't announced anything official about Windows 9 yet, but a good date for that to happen is at the Worldwide Partner Conference, which starts on July 13th.
