14 DAY TRIAL // Documents that reached the web in the last few weeks and allegedly showing a Microsoft product roadmap indicated that Redmond is currently working on a subscription-based Windows version that could be released sometime in the next couple of years.
Simply called Windows 365, the new OS version was believed to be based on the same system as Office 365 and require a subscription in order to access specific features.
That's not the case, however, as according to a new report published by Mary Jo Foley on ZDNet, Microsoft isn't actually working on Windows 365. In fact, the software giant is willing to stick to the existing SKUs of Windows, and despite putting the focus on cloud, no subscriptions are planned for the operating system.
Windows will remain a platform for the time being, the source adds, and although converting it to a service seems like the most logical step since the company is investing so much in cloud, a subscription-based operating system isn't something that could come out of Redmond anytime soon.
In the meantime, all eyes are on Windows 8.1 with Bing, a new SKU of the operating system that would be offered to manufacturers either free or at a lower cost in order to build more affordable devices.
The new OS version is already being tested by partners and some are scheduled to unveil their products next month at Computex before the public launch later this year.