Microsoft will announce a new name for its signature product on Tuesday when it offers the first official preview of its latest Windows operating system.
The project will likely get an entirely new brand, or will just be called Windows, analyst said ahead of its full release in early 2015, according to Reuters.
The project has been called "Threshold" inside the company the past few years, and "Windows 9" outside it. A name change is symbolic of a new direction and style for the company, which is venturing away from an aggressive focus on Windows and PCs, a hallmark of previous Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer.
The new, quieter emphasis is now on selling services across all devices and is supported by new boss Satya Nadella.
The change also confirms Microsoft's desire to erase ill will generated by Windows 8, its previous attempt to redesign Windows with tablet users in mind, which ended up confusing and annoying most consumers.
"Windows 8 was not a shining moment for Microsoft," said Michael Silver, an analyst at tech research firm Gartner, according to Reuters. "Probably the biggest issue that lingers is the negative brand equity in the name."
Based on recent leaks online, the start-button menu will come back in the next Windows, with an option of tacking on titles.
The issue of users having to toggle between the modern interface and the old-style desktop has not been solved yet.
"The schizophrenic behavior between the modern user interface and the Windows desktop has got to go away," said David Johnson, an analyst at tech research firm Forrester. "They have to smooth that out."
Microsoft has not commented on the new name, specs, and plans to unveil publicly.
"Microsoft built their business on being very good at delivering what people needed in the moment, for example Excel in the 1990s," said Johnson at Forrester. "That's what Microsoft has to get back to, innovating and creating things that people find indispensable."
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