Windows IX

Not to be confused with Windows 9.
Windows IX (Pronounced as the letters, not the number 9) is a major release of Microsoft's Windows operating system. It is the successor to Windows 8.1, which released only a few months earlier. It was released to manufacturing on December 1st, 2013, and later to retail on December 15th, 2013. It was made available to download online, and was available as a free upgrade for retail copies of Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 through the Microsoft Store or Windows Upgrade, depending on the OS. The OS was only a mild success due to it being close to the releases of 2 other OS's. In October 2020, Microsoft announced that support for Windows IX editions which are not in the LTSC will end on February 29th, 2024. Microsoft explained the reason why it released only a few months after 8.1 is that they "Wanted an OS dedicated to the Desktop experience." as 8.1 still had the same tablet-like menu as 8. Critics gave mostly positive and neutral reviews about the OS, saying it was a better desktop experience than 8 and 8.1 but was still not perfectly optimized for it. Some features of Windows 10 originate from Windows IX, such as a dedicated search button and the action center.
Category:Fictional Windows versions