So much for putting some psychological distance between the new OS and Windows 8 Microsoft’s China division today briefly touted “Windows 9” in a post to the Weibo micro-blogging service, bolstering the speculation that the company will stick to a numerical name for its next OS. Although Microsoft China quickly deleted the post, the Chinese-language website cnBeta.com grabbed a screenshot before it disappeared. The post said, “Microsoft’s latest OS Windows 9 is coming soon.” cnBeta.com Microsoft China touted the name ‘Windows 9’ in a post to the Weibo micro-blogging service today, hinting that the company won’t dramatically distance the new from Windows 8’s lackluster reputation. The post also featured a crude mockup of a Windows 9 logo taken from a series of Windows wallpapers crafted by ShyDesigns in January. While the post was nothing more than a tease, the use of “Windows 9” makes it more likely that Microsoft plans on using that moniker when it ships the upgrade next year. What Microsoft names the next Windows will show how desperately it wants customers to forget Windows 8, the 2012 upgrade that by most measurements has been a failure. In 2009, Microsoft backed away from the Windows Vista flop by changing from names to a numerical designation with Windows 7. By ditching numbers and returning to a name, Microsoft could further distance the new from Windows 8’s reputation. According to reports, Microsoft will host an event on Sept. 30 to introduce Windows 9 — which has also been labeled “Threshold” — and perhaps offer preview code to developers or even the public. Related content news analysis Apple earnings: About that iPhone 'slump' in China Based on information from Thursday's earnings report, it seems that data pointing to an iPhone slump in China were over-baked. By Jonny Evans May 03, 2024 9 mins iMac iPhone Apple news Microsoft begins to phase out ‘classic’ Teams Microsoft is encouraging Teams customers to move to the new, faster version of the collaboration app; the older version will be switched off next year. By Matthew Finnegan May 03, 2024 3 mins Microsoft Teams Collaboration Software Productivity Software news analysis Apple confirms it will open up the iPad in Europe this fall The latest efforts to comply with Europe’s Digital Markets Act mean developers can offer to side load apps to both iPhones and iPads in the EU. Apple has also taken steps to improve what it offers to smaller and non-commercial developers in the By Jonny Evans May 02, 2024 6 mins iPad Apple Mobile Apps news Udacity offers laid-off US workers free access to its courses for 30 days Sign-ups will be available over the next 30 days By Lucas Mearian May 02, 2024 4 mins Technology Industry IT Jobs IT Skills Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe