Microsoft’s latest reinvention of the Windows brand has proved unpopular with users

Microsoft plans to cut its losses on Windows 8, the latest version of the software that runs the majority of the world’s computers, jettisoning the brand in an attempt to appease millions of disgruntled users.

Industry sources believe that the world’s biggest software company will announce a new operating system, codenamed “Threshold”, at an event in April.

It is understood that ultimately Microsoft will call the system Windows 9 — a move, nonetheless, away from the Windows 8 brand that executives believe has become irreparably damaged by poor sales and scathing customer reviews.

The company will also make a number of changes to the system’s design and functionality. It will go on sale in 2015, far earlier than many anticipated.

It is only 15 months