According to Microsoft insider Mary Jo Foley, we’re very close to seeing the consumer preview of Windows 9.
Mary Jo Foley recently wrote that a “technology preview” of Windows 9/Windows Threshold would be available to the general public as early as late September/early October.
That’s exciting news for anyone who wants to forget about Windows 8 – including Microsoft.
Windows 9 is rumored to arrive with a revamped Start menu, virtual desktops, and Cortana integration. It will also be a critical element of Microsoft’s upcoming “One Microsoft” policy which seeks to connect its Phone OS, Xbox OS, and PC OSes together.

Mary Jo Foley has repeatedly proven her inside knowledge and insider sources at Microsoft. Yes, you should take this news with a grain of salt, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s wrong: in fact, if I were a betting man, I would trust Mary Jo Foley.

Prepare for substantial monthly updates

According to Foley, the tech preview for Windows 9 will be unlike any other Microsoft preview released thus far.
Users who sign up for the preview will also have to agree to “have subsequent monthly updates pushed to them automatically.”
In other words, Microsoft plans to continuously update this operating system on a regular basis: instead of just delivering security updates and minor patches every month.

What does that mean for consumers? It could mean that Windows 9 will be subscription-based, with users receiving multiple updates throughout the year instead of paying for a brand new OS every 3 years – which is what Microsoft demands its consumers do with the current model.

Windows 9 will be released in April 2015

Mary Jo Foley is also predicting that Microsoft will fully release Windows 9 in April 2015.
In other words, one year from today, we could be witnessing a totally different PC market than we’re seeing today.
Of course, that’s only true if Microsoft uses Windows 9 to address all of the problems of Windows 8.