Windows 9 screenshots leaked

The clock is ticking to the expected availability of the early preview of Windows 9–or Windows “Threshold”. With only a few weeks left until we’ll supposedly be able to see for ourselves, new screenshots have been leaked that give us a sneak preview of what Windows 9 has in store.

Tom Warren wrote about the leaked screenshots in The Verge. Two German sites–ComputerBase and WinFuture–have posted 20 images that appear to be from a recent build of the new Windows OS that has been provided to Microsoft partners in anticipation of the broader launch of the new version. Warren is a trustworthy source of Microsoft information, and he followed the news with a tweet stating that the screenshots are accurate and genuine.

The screenshots confirm some things we think we already know about Windows 9, and reveal some new tweaks as well. For example, the leaked Windows 9 screenshots display the new, modified Start button behavior Microsoft demonstrated earlier in the year. Rather than just flipping between the Windows Start screen, and the Desktop, the new Start button will apparently act more like the traditional, pre-Windows 8 Start button with links to commonly used applications. The twist is that it also includes a selection of commonly used tiles from the Start screen as well.

There are also some cosmetic changes, such as new icons for File Explorer and Desktop that are flatter, and provide better consistency with the Modern UI icons / tiles of the Start screen. A magnifying glass icon is on the Taskbar next to the Start screen–apparently making search even more ubiquitous than it already is in the Windows OS.

Check out ComputerBase or WinFuture to view the rest of the leaked screenshots.