We still don't know a lot about the next version of Windows, codenamed "Threshold," but a bunch of new screenshots have been leaked, giving us a closer look at Microsoft's next platform. A pair of German sites, WinFuture and ComputerBase, have 20 screenshots focusing on the desktop.
The pictures show an operating system that's frankly quite rough. In places, the desktop looks more Metro-like than ever before, with the hybrid live tile-equipped Start menu and a selection of new icons that take on a flatter, simpler appearance. The pictures also seem to show an early version of a new Windows theme, with thinner window borders.
They also show off three new features in Windows 9: a notification center (though it looks very sparse), windowed Metro apps, and virtual desktops. Windows Metro apps appear to include a "..." button in their title bars that's used to reveal functionality that was formerly on the charms bar.
Enlarge / The ... menu appears to replace the charms.
ComputerBase.de
At least in these pictures, however, this new look is far from complete. Many old icons still exist, and while some parts of the operating system do look flat and Metro-esque, others remain lumpy and 3D.
The images include a picture of Internet Explorer which, for the moment, still looks like Internet Explorer. However, Neowin reports that this, too, will change. The site says that Internet Explorer 12 will include a new interface that, like Chrome and Firefox, puts tabs above the address bar and has a flatter look. The next Internet Explorer is also rumored to fill a functional gap that has long set Internet Explorer apart from its competitors: the new browser will include some kind of Firefox-like extension/add-on support.
Current expectation is still that Microsoft will formally unveil the operating system at the end of the month and that there will be a public "Technical Preview" released at around the same time
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