Is there anything lacking from the transition of Windows 8 to Windows 10? Well yes, Windows 9. Have you ever thought about why was Windows 9 skipped? And that’s where we’re gonna hook our heads today to understand why there was no Windows 9!
Here are a few theories to make you think about the big WHY behind no version of Windows 9.
Theory I: Windows One, Windows 9, or Windows 10?
Windows’s owner Microsoft named Windows 10 “Threshold” when it was in development. It was called threshold after a non-real fictional planet in the Halo Universe. At that point in time, the media assumed or in a better way predicted that “Windows 9” would be the next major release. However, the story isn’t the way it was told because nobody knew that Microsoft would surprise us on 30 September 2014 by unveiling Windows 10. So officially there was no windows 9 operating system getting launched.
While being innovative, Windows 8 was welcomed as expected. Microsoft’s flop was widely considered an embarrassment. In 2013, Microsoft released Windows 8.1, which cleared some of the issues present but, keep in mind not “all”, making Windows 8 completely a flop.
The company intended to demonstrate that Threshold was more than just an upgrade and not the continuation of the “controversial” technology present in Windows 8. With a new major version, Windows 10 would represent a clean breakthrough. Thereafter, Microsoft a “wave” of Windows 10 OS that would run on PCs, tablets, Windows Phone, and Xbox One while optimally tailoring the UI to each platform.
Surprisingly, Microsoft has said quite less about the decision to forgo Windows 9. Windows Chief Terry Myerson revealed some indications regarding the company’s thinking during the 2014 Windows 10 launch event (as reported by ExtremeTech because the video is presently unavailable): “Everybody knows how different our approach will be overall, based on the product that’s coming,” he added. “It’s not appropriate to name it Windows 9.” this cleared the notion of why no windows 9 operating system.
Myerson also indicated that Microsoft may have intended to call the release “Windows One,” but was by the presence of Windows 1.0. (way back in 1985). Myerson told ExtremeTech that Windows One would make sense in the context of OneNote, OneDrive, and Xbox One, but that “sadly Windows 1 has been done by the titans that came before us.”
So, since Windows One is already taken, why not add a zero to the end and call it Windows 10? Because there are no hard and fast rules for naming items in marketing, this explanation appears to be as good as any.
Theory II: The 9# Confusion
Even still, Microsoft’s fairly unclear official justifications haven’t convinced anyone, so alternate ideas exist. On the same day that Windows 10 was announced, a Reddit user claiming to be a Microsoft developer stated that Microsoft avoided using the term “Windows 9” because it may mislead programs looking for Windows 95 or Windows 98, two earlier Windows versions from the 1990s.
Theory III: 9 is considered unlucky in Japan
It’s probable that while naming Windows 10, someone mentioned that the number 9 is considered unlucky in Japan. When uttered, it sounds close to the term for “torture,” however this connotation may not be widely known. Still, given that “Windows Torture” doesn’t exactly ring true in the Japanese market, we can understand why Microsoft would have wished to avoid “Windows 9″—though this is totally theoretical.
This theory is quite possible. It’s probable that while naming Windows 10, someone mentioned that the number nine is considered unlucky in Japan. When spoken or uttered the number nine sounds almost like the word “torture”. And Windows Torture won’t be a great deal at all for the Japanese market.
Hence, I believe that these are a few reasons why there was why no windows 9 operating system.
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