A new UI expected for Windows 7 RTM?

Paul Thurrott has just posted some screenshots of build 7106, that has been the center of attention for beta testers for some days. The build leaked in Chinese to start with, but Paul has posted images of the English version. There’s not much to say about this build, as Paul points out. An interesting bit I’ve picked up from is article is that he mentions rumors of a new UI for RTM builds.

There are rumors, too, that a new UI is coming and it may make sense for Microsoft to hold on to that UI for the RTM builds, so that it has one last surprise to offer up to its eager fans. Indeed, the smartest thing Microsoft has done with Windows 7, in many ways, is keep the drama high by playing things close to the vest.

While, this is a rumor so far. But the last two consumer versions of Windows saw new UIs, so there is a good chance that Windows 7 might get one too. It could be to differentiate it from Vista’s Aero, or just a surprise for all us users. This is just pure speculation, so don’t be sad if this turns out to be just a rumor in the end. I personally don’t think that Aero Glass would be going away so soon, But there are hopes now that we could see something new in the RTM build after all.