I have a feeling Microsoft will stick with a hybrid OS but with improvements to Metro etc...personally its not that bad once you get use to it even as a desktop user.
I don't know if they will go with a whole new UI, I don't think so since most of the world is not ready for that just now.
Anyway whatever happens Win9 should be interesting.
I agree, Microsoft will almost definitely stick with a hybrid operating system. They have a lot of smart and talented people, and while the 'unified' operating system for desktop+tablet does feel like it diminishes some of the ease of use of the desktop right now, that could just be a maturity thing or a testament to how quickly they tried to put something together and get it out there. What happened, I think, is that the market forced their hand. Mobile phones and tablets are continuing to increase dramatically in sales, and laptops/desktops are going down, and that trend is not likely to reverse. They're going to design for wherever the most market share is, and while a unified OS might be more appealing long-term, they could be trying to leverage their desktop install base to kick-start tablet/mobile development for now as well.
Two things I'd like to see in Windows 9:
1. I actually like the right pop-up bar with settings and power options. This seems like it would be perfect for a new start menu. I just really don't want a full-screen start menu... it really does get in the way when you have to go back and forth from metro to the desktop to launch programs and stuff. All they really need is app pinning, search, and some system shortcuts.
2. No full screen Modern UI apps unless the user wants that! Let the user run those apps in a window. This seems so obvious... if you have a 1920x1200-capable monitor, for example... a 1024x768 Modern UI window (even if it's not resizable, or lets you select from some predefined sizes that are optimized for mobile) can easily work in a windowed environment. This will make those apps and that development even more appealing. This would also make the new settings interface much more appealing, and more functionality can be seamlessly merged with Modern UI so that both the desktop and tablets can benefit. If that is the UI paradigm they want to use, then stick with it... just make it usable for us desktop power users, too, please.
If things are even more full-screen and "Modern UI"-ified, with closer ties to Windows Live and the "Cloud" for those features and *gasp* a Windows subscription instead of a one-time purchase,... then those would be warning signs to me that Microsoft might have lost sight of what they are and what Windows is. Maybe they can name that version Microsoft Window (without the s).
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