It’s that time again where Microsoft gets to tell us about the next version of its desktop operating system which we expect to be called Windows 9 (although we were wrong about the iWatch).

The event invitations were sent out to the foreign media yesterday and will take place in San Francisco where the heads of Microsoft’s operating systems teams TerryMyerson and Joe Belfiore will be leading a discussion around “what’s next for Windows and the enterprise”.

Windows 9 has started to appear in several leaks already with pictures and video of a technical preview of the operating system already making their way around the internet. New features include a return to the full Start menu on the desktop with a side bar that allows for pinned live tiles. Virtual desktops like those found in Mac OS X and Linux have also been seen in leaks and look likely to make their debut.

According to long-time Microsoft analyst Mary Jo Foley, the event should see Microsoft give a date for the technical previews of the next version of both Windows and Windows Server which both fall under the Threshold update program which is the codename given to Microsoft’s plan to update all of its operating systems to share similar features and infrastructure.

According to Foley’s sources Threshold could be the last time Microsoft releases a major operating system update with smaller, quicker updates on a regular schedule being looked at as an option by Microsoft to keep the operating system’s updates in line with the cadence that is expected from smartphone and tablet OS updates by consumers.

Whatever Microsoft does announce in two weeks time we’ll be there to cover it and let you know what you can expect going forward.

[Source – ZDNet]