Presenting Windows Blue, the new update to Windows 8

It’s no secret that Windows 8 wasn’t received as expected. After experiencing slower growth in the market than its predecessors, and with there not being many operating systems on the trading floor, Microsoft is looking for new ways to bolster its product line shortly after having unified its services when it gave a new look to its Windows Phone, launched the RT product line, and integrated its most popular programs. This new Service Pack on steroids hopes to change the way the company performs updates for one that is more fluid and global. This is Windows Blue.

Up until now, Microsoft had maintained a pattern of releasing a completely-new operating system approximately every three years, while the so-called “Service Packs” weren’t anything more than cummulative patches with a lot of minor updates, and the different Microsoft programs, on the other hand, were updated at their own rhythm. Windows Blue hopes to be the first in a new method of releasing updates in which new features will be sent to all the brand’s products all at once, whether it be for free or for less than what a completely-new operating system would cost.

One of the most exciting new features that this first wave of updates is that the Metro interface will be much more versatile. You will be able to change the tiles to whatever size you want. In regards to the desktop, Windows Snap, the feature that allows you to expand the windows to different sizes, will allow you to assign parts of the screen to certain applications so that you can have many running simultaneously. You will also be able to divide the screen into precise segments. This comes as a great relief to those who use large monitors, as, all things considered, this is the true purpose of this feature.

In regards to pre-installed programs, Blue will come with Internet Explorer 11 as the default browser, and other services such as SkyDrive will be integrated into the operating system. In addition to all this, some internal changes will be made, such as including a new version of the Windows 8 kernel, and changes to the nomenclature and distribution of the control panel, and all the other settings and configuration elements. It seems they are taking another step towards the complete extinction of the traditional classic desktop that has been used until now, even when the new Modern UI environment was, to a certain degree, a bit forced.

We were already mostly aware of all this information, but it was confirmed and added to this week after several screenshots of Windows Blue appeared on the Internet. However, there isn’t any information as to when it will be released or the possible pricetag. What is for sure is that it will cost much less than a completely-new Windows operating system product. What is still yet to be seen is if users will users will adapt to this new way of releasing paid updates every now and again.