Unless you"ve been living under a rock for the last few days, you"ll probably already know that a build of Windows Blue - the next major update to Windows 8 - leaked onto the interwebs earlier this week, allowing the world to dissect its juicy innards to get some idea of what Microsoft has in store next for its love-it-or-hate-it OS.
Some of the features that have been exposed in the new build include a new File Manager app, improved multi-monitor support, more customisation options for the Start screen and a Windows Phone-style "slide-to-shut-down" feature. If you haven"t done so already, be sure to check out our hands-on video with Windows Blue.
If you"ve been holding off on installing the leaked build, we don"t blame you - after all, its an interim build not intended for public consumption. But it looks like you won"t have to wait too long to get your paws on the real deal. Citing "sources familiar with Microsoft"s plans", The Verge reports that the company is working on finalising a "public preview" build of Windows Blue that will launch at the BUILD conference in June.
Microsoft is also said to be working on various new first-party apps for Blue, in addition to some of those already revealed in the leaked build. Further, as we reported back in December, it"s said that Blue will indeed introduce optimisations that will bring Windows 8 to smaller 7- and 8-inch tablets. The leak has already revealed that the minimum resolution that will support the side-by-side Snap View for apps has been lowered to 1024x768px.
Unlike with the Windows 8 development process, don"t expect multiple previews of Blue to be released over a period of months - it"s said that the BUILD release will be the one and only preview version of Blue before its full launch later this year.
Source: The Verge