Microsoft Windows Blue Rumors: Did Job Posting Confirm New OS For Desktop And Windows Phone?

Microsoft is rumored to be working on a major update to Windows 8, which was announced on Aug. 1 and released to the general public in October. Reviews for Microsoft’s newest operating system have been mostly positive, and consumers hope that the once-dominant company can continue producing high-quality, well-made products like Windows 8.

Rumors about the update started in November, when reports came out that Microsoft would start working on an annual and inexpensive OS update. The update was rumored to be called Windows Blue, and it seems the company has confirmed the title in a job listing on the Microsoft Careers page, posted on Sunday.

The post has been removed from the Microsoft Careers page, but ZDNet managed to copy the text before it was taken down:

"We’re looking for an excellent, experienced SDET to join the Core Experience team in Windows Sustained Engineering (WinSE). The Core Experience features are the centerpiece of the new Windows UI, representing most of what customers touch and see in the OS, including: the start screen; application lifecycle; windowing; and personalization. Windows Blue promises to build and improve upon these aspects of the OS, enhancing ease of use and the overall user experience on devices and PCs worldwide."

Windows Blue may not just be a slight update that fixes smaller bugs, errors and issues but may also have some huge user interface changes as well. We’ve reached out to Microsoft to see if the company had a comment on the job posting but haven’t heard back yet.

Twitter user @h0x0d found another job posting that seems to indicate that Microsoft may be working on a Windows Phone update called Windows Phone Blue. According to the Twitter post, the Windows Phone Blue job posting was for a developer who could build a “high quality excel app for Windows Phone Blue.” The post continued, saying the project would help improve the “consistent experience with spreadsheets across Web, Slate and Phone end” and also utilize the full “power of the cloud.” Windows Phone Blue could possibly improve the integration between Microsoft's desktop and mobile operating systems.

ZDNet said Microsoft plans on improving the relationship between Windows 8 and Windows RT apps on Windows Phone and it seems like a smart idea for the company: As consumers move toward using mobile devices as much as their desktops -- Facebook’s most recent data affirms this notion -- the synchronicity between mobile and desktop devices may become a deal-breaker when the time comes for users to update to newer devices in the near future.

Analysts have been comparing these Microsoft rumors regarding its future in desktop and mobile operating systems to Apple. Apple releases OS X updates on a similar schedule, approximately once a year, similarly emphasizing a close connection between OS X and iOS. It's possible Microsoft is looking toward its biggest rival, which has eclipsed the company in profitability and popularity over the last decade, as proof that releasing major software updates more than once every few years can be fruitful for one's bottom line.