What can you expect from Microsoft’s next ‘big thing’.–PC Pitstop
What’s Coming in Windows 10?
Bob Rankin
Will Windows 10 fix everything that was wrong with Windows 8? What new features will be in the Next Big Thing from Microsoft? And will you really get Windows 10 for free? Read on for the scoop…
What’s Coming in Windows 10?
Microsoft held a 2 hour, 15 minute press conference on January 21 to tell the eager world everything it wanted to know about Windows 10… except when the next-generation operating system will be released. “Later this year” remains the official estimate.
The release date of Windows 10 may be vague because there are so many cooks in the kitchen. About 1.7 million people have downloaded the Win 10 developer preview and generated 800,000 bits of feedback on 200,000 topics, according to the company. That many suggestions will confuse any development effort even if none of them end up in the final product.
But it’s likely that a lot of feedback from developers will find its way into Win 10 because they are the group that will make or break this product. Developers got their Windows 10 infomercial in October; this January show was aimed at consumers. Not enterprise IT managers with their boring focus on management, security, and standardization, but average consumers who want the comfort of the familiar and the excitement of the novel. Here’s what Microsoft promised them:
First, Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for end users who have Windows 7, 8, or 8.1. That offer will stand for one year after the eventual release of Win 10. (Presumably those still running XP or Vista will have to pay to move to Windows 10.) Microsoft hopes to quickly whet developers’ appetites with lots of Windows 10 converts. Also, Windows 10 is the gateway to Microsoft OneDrive, Office 365, and the other components of Nadella’s “cloud-first” mantra.
Cortana, Microsoft’s answer to Apple’s Siri “personal digital assistant,” will be coming to Windows 10. Actually, Cortana lives in the cloud, interacting with you through all of your connected devices to learn as much as possible about you; just so she can help you better, you understand. On a PC, Cortana will be able to do things she can’t do on a phone, such as open a Powerpoint presentation. But don’t expect perfection; when asked who will win the Super Bowl, Cortana chose Seattle by seventy-eight and a half.
