Update: Windows 9 is now known as Windows 10. Want to know more about when you can get your hands on it? Check out our in-depth Windows 10 release date page
The next major update to Windows, currently being called Windows Threshold, could arrive in preview form as soon as late September.
That's according to ZDNet, whose unnamed sources said a Windows Threshold "technology preview" will go live in early October at the latest.
"Threshold" is thought to be the code name for Windows 9, though Microsoft has yet to weigh in officially.
Nevertheless the Windows 9 preview will be available to any and all who choose to participate, one of the site's sources said.
Time for an overhaul
Tellingly the Windows 9 tech preview will reportedly also feature automatic mandatory monthly updates, a move that could signal Windows' future trajectory.
It's believed that Windows 9 will hit shelves in Spring 2015, with a preview arriving in the fall, though there have been some conflicting reports.
Either way, Windows 8 users will probably be happy for their much-maligned OS to get overhauled.
Windows "Threshold" is rumored to have new features like a redesigned Start menu, windowed Metro-style tile apps, prominent Cortana integration, virtual desktops, and the removal of the Windows 8 charms bar.
For now Microsoft is keeping its lips zipped tight, but if there's really a Windows 9 preview scheduled for September expect an announcement soon.
- Is the new OS any good? Read our hands on Windows 10 review to find out
