Here’s what Windows 9 could look like, in pictures

With a new release cycle of roughly each year, Microsoft is slated to supply its next-generation version of its desktop operating system, likely named Windows 9, by fall 2014.

Recent reports suggest the software giant will slim down its line-up down from three versions — Windows 8, Windows RT, and Windows Phone — to two or fewer.

But one thing for sure is that Microsoft will keep dishing out its desktop operating system as it has for the past two decades. Windows 9 will likely run on desktops, notebooks, tablets, and perhaps even phones.

With little to go on and plenty of speculation and rumor, designers have mocked up a number of concepts — fitting with previous releases — to detail what they expect the upcoming software to look like.

Here are just a few examples of some of the most visually stunning and detailed designs we’ve found.