Could Windows 9 End Up 'Charmless'?

The Windows 9 rumour mill is churning into overdrive as the technology community crosses its fingers and toes for a better operating system than Microsoft's widely criticised Windows 8 OS.

The latest Chinese whispers are, aptly, coming from Chinatopix who has claimed a major Windows 9 user interface overhaul will remove the Charms Bar altogether.

For the uninitiated, the feature is the menu that pops up on the right hand side of the screen when you hover your cursor in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen: it includes shortcuts to the search bar, share menu, start page, devices and settings.

It's still not clear whether Microsoft will be removing the Charms Bar on tablets, but it is apparently "certain" that the feature will be stripped from desktop PCs. If true, this is likely a move by Microsoft to make its operating system more user friendly to mouse and keyboard users.

Codenamed "Windows Threshold," the new Microsoft operating system should also include a new Start menu and "modern" app windowing.

The launch of Windows 9 will mark the latest development in a year of upheaval for Microsoft. The Redmond-based company has been busy pushing its device family as the new business ecosystem, with Windows Phones able to interact with Windows PCs and tablets in a seamless way.

Microsoft has also been grappling with the Chinese market, fighting against the government's decision to limit foreign technology firms' dominance in a bid to encourage the growth of local companies as viable competitors.