In late November, rumors began to hit the Internet that claimed Microsoft's next major update for Windows 8 has the code name Windows Blue. While Microsoft has not officially commented on these reports, the rumors claim that Windows Blue will put in "UI changes and alterations to the entire platform and pricing" for Windows 8 and that it will be made available in mid-2013.
Now The Verge is reporting, buried in a story/editorial on the branding of Windows, that the Windows Blue upgrade will also include improved optimization for tablets that have seven and eight inch screen sizes. If true, it would mean that PC makers may be developing Windows 8 tablet products with those smaller screens.
So far, the few Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets that have been released to consumers have all had 10 inch screens. A move to update the OS to support smaller tablets may be seen by both Microsoft and PC OEMs as a way to expand the tablet market for Windows 8. These devices may appeal to people who want the cheaper and smaller tablets that have been sold by, for example, Amazon with its Kindle Fire and Google with its Nexus 7.
The article also claims that, even if Microsoft plans to launch major annual upgrades to Windows 8, the company will still stick with the Windows 8 brand name "for its traditional OS for the foreseeable future."
Source: The Verge
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