According to several sources, Microsoft is apparently finally going to reveal Windows 9 on the 30th of September. The tech-giant has long been said to focus more on the desktop again with this next big iteration of Windows, though I’m not entirely sure how many new features will be included apart from what was initially already previewed as features of the ditched Windows 8.2 update.

I guess it’s rather hard to come up with great changes to an interface that hasn’t changed much since decades and that you might even think of as perfect. Nevertheless, Microsoft did an overwhelming job with Windows 7. A lot of small enhancements, add-ons and adjustments to old elements made it a great evolution of the desktop and a big step forward for Microsoft.

The feature I want to present you within this article - the so-called Pin-feature - is also just one small update. This concept is really not about guessing what Windows 9 will actually look and work like - you know, Start Menu, Windows Store apps on the desktop, live tiles in the status bar - but only about explaining this one idea and discussing its impact and advantages. The feature could work as well next to all the more likely changes coming to Windows. It might not even be specifically restricted to Windows 9, but would be a great addition to any desktop OS.

I've also already published another concept also imagining what Windows 9 might look like a few months ago. These two concepts are completely independent from each other, though, since the first concept only concentrates on a separate touch-interface, and since this concept here only focuses on the small pin-feature for the desktop, both concepts could of course actually be implemented within the same OS.

Introducing the Pin-functionality - excelling the advantages of “apps” on the desktop

As already mentioned, this concept is not about the look of Windows 9, but about functionality. Moreover, I mainly want to introduce you to the so-called “pin”-functionality. There are of course also a few other small changes within the mock-ups, but the feature could work as well looking completely different.

While usually always the window that the user has interacted with last jumps to the very top, this new function would make it possible to permanently “pin” windows to the very front. A pinned window will stay fixed at the front, even if the user is interacting with an other window behind it.

The idea behind this is to excel the advantages of apps on the desktop. While Wikipedia still redirects you to “Mobile App” when searching for “App”, and defines it as a “program designed to run on smartphones, tablet computers and other mobile devices”, I’d rather say - especially keeping in mind that apps are also available for Windows 8 and Mac OS - that apps are small programs only dedicated to a single, simple task. Of course you’ll also find plenty of more extensive apps (e.g. games), but the overall trend is shifting even more to this definition, thinking for example of the recent split of the Facebook Messenger, or the rumored upcoming split of Google+.

On the desktop, apps would most likely be kind like little helpers that you take use of while working primarily on another window. For example, you might want to use a simple dictionary app while working on a document. Currently you would most likely have to permanently switch between the two programs all few seconds. But taking use of this new feature, you could easily pin the dictionary and make it stay fixed in the bottom right corner, even while you’re continuing to work on the document.