Windows 9 to be a free upgrade: report

Microsoft is expected to officially unveil Windows 9 to enterprises and developers at a dedicated media event on Tuesday. And while potential new features are unclear, there is one feature that seems destined to appeal to most users.

Microsoft is expected to officially unveil Windows 9 to enterprises and developers at a dedicated media event on Tuesday. And while potential new features are unclear, there is one feature that seems destined to appeal to most users.

The consumer release of Windows 9 isn't expected to come until early 2015. However, according to a report from Indonesian publication Detik, first spotted and translated by BGR, when it does land, it will do so as a free-of-charge over-the-air update.

The publication quotes the president of Microsoft Indonesia, Andreas Diantoro, who says that people who are already running Windows 8 will get the next operating system update as a free download.

There are also suggestions that those that are still using computers running Windows XP -- an operating system that Microsoft no longer officially supports and protects from virus and malware threats -- will be offered incentives to make the jump to the latest OS.

Leaks regarding what to expect from Windows 9 have been very few but the ability to boot directly in desktop mode and the return of a proper Start button are expected to be key features of the new operating system. As is the integration of Microsoft's smartphone voice-operated virtual assistant 'Cortana'.