Windows 9 to be released November 2014?

We do not know a lot about the operating system that is coming after Windows 8. It has been rumored for a while that Microsoft wants to reduce the time span between operating system releases considerable, and one of the technologies that got mentioned in this regard over and over again is Windows Blue.
As it stands now, Windows Blue does not seem to be Windows 9, and while none of this has been confirmed officially, it appears as if we are going to see a release of Windows Blue this year. It is interesting to note that Microsoft is keeping the tight-lipped approach about future products after the departure of Steve Sinofsky.
If rumors turn out to be true, Windows Blue will be a free update for Windows 8 users coming this August. Information about Windows Blue were posted on a Chinese forum. The main points posted there are:

• No major UI changes, which means no start menu, no changes to start screen / desktop interface.
• Lower power consumption.
• Better performance, downsized Kernel.
• Scaling improved for Metro apps
• Multi-screen applications.

If you take this into account, it looks more like a service pack then a new version of Windows. Instead of releasing service packs, Microsoft seems to move towards a system that is similar to Apple’s release schedule.
Today news about Windows 9 were posted on Soft-forum that suggest the following timeline for the operating system:

• 7 January 2014 Windows 9 Beta
• July 2014 Windows 9 Release Candidate
• October 2014 Windows 9 RTM
• November 2014: Windows 9 Release

It needs to be noted that this has not been confirmed and should be taken with a grain of salt until it is. If true, it would confirm the faster deployment of operating systems as Windows 9 would be released only 2 years and 1 month after Windows 8.
What strikes me as odd is that there is only one month between the Windows 9 RTM and the public availability of the operating system.
With Windows Blue being released in 2013, it could very well mean that we will see a new version of Windows being released each year from now one.
Based on all the rumors currently in circulation, it seems as if Windows Blue will be more like a service pack type of update for Windows 8, while Windows 9 may introduce major changes to the system instead.