Windows 10: release date, price, news and features
Update: An exact time for Redmond's big reveal on January 21, 2015, has been announced. Get ready for more Windows 10 news at 9 a.m. PST
tomorrow. Plus, more details have leaked regarding Windows 10,
including leaks of Microsoft's 'Spartan' browser and how much the new OS
might cost. Most recently, reports are coming in of a fresh hardware
debut from Microsoft is in the works to properly ring in Windows 10 –
read more below!
With Windows 8 and now Windows 8.1,
Microsoft tried – not entirely successfully – to make tablets part of a
continuum that goes from number-crunching workstations and high-end
gaming rigs through all-in-one touchscreen media systems and thin-and
light notebooks down to slender touch tablets.
The general
consensus is that it still has a long way to go to produce a unified OS.
Recently, Microsoft publicly made the first steps to doing just that,
with Windows 10. Skipping the Windows 9 name entirely, the Redmond,
Wash. firm aims to step into the next generation of computing with the
right foot forward.
You will soon be able to download Microsoft's Windows 10 Technical Preview by venturing over to its Windows Insider Program
website. You'll need a Microsoft account to get it, and it's worth
bearing in mind that it's not the finished article so may be a bit rough
around the edges.
While
there is little information regarding the Windows 10 Road Map currently
available following the event and the Technical Preview, this is what
we know so far regarding the stymied release of Windows 10:
The event
on September 30 announced the release of the Technical Preview of
Windows 10 for laptops and desktops, often referred to as WTP, DP
(Developer Preview) or CTP (community technology previews). This is just
over three years after Microsoft unveiled the first public beta build
of Windows 8, known as Windows Developer Preview).
Microsoft
released its Windows Insider Program on October 1st, designed to keep
early adopters up to date with the latest preview builds of Windows 10.
Starting with Technical Preview for laptops and desktops, the preview build will extend to servers short after.
As of October 7, the preview build is available to Windows 7 users as well.
Consumer preview builds will not be available until early next year, according to Microsoft's Terry Myerson.
The Technical Preview will end sharply on April 15 of next year, which conveniently leaves right off at...
Microsoft's
Build 2015 conference next April, at which the company will talk more
about Universal Apps and likely issue a Windows 10 release date.
Finally, the company promises that Windows 10 will ship to consumers and enterprise "later in the year" in 2015, Myerson said.
We'll learn more about that on January 21, at 9 a.m. PST sharp, when Satya Nadella and crew will pull the curtain on their latest operating system back even further.
Cut to the chase What is it? A complete update of Windows When is it out? It will launch "later in the year" in 2015 What will it cost? We really have no idea. Microsoft will not comment on pricing yet.
One thing Microsoft has been absolutely mum about regarding it's new baby is how much Windows 10 will cost.
While the firm has yet to say anything concrete, we now know a bit more
about how Microsoft is thinking – or rather, rethinking – how it will
generate dollars from this go 'round.
"We've got to monetize it
differently," Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner said at the
Credit Suisse Technology Conference in early December, according to
Wind8apps.com.
"And there are services involved," he continued.
"There are additional opportunities for us to bring additional services
to the product and do it in a creative way. And through the course of
the summer and spring we'll be announcing what that business model looks
like."
The most recent report strikes us as potentially
controversial if it comes to bear, but the word is that Windows 8.1
users will have access to the big Windows 10 upgrade at no charge.
Softpedia reports that, meanwhile, owners of Windows 7 and older will
have to pay up to get the new OS. (Also, Microsoft confirmed that the
two most recent Windows versions will be able to upgrade to Windows 10 directly.)
The
likely idea here is for customers to upgrade to a whole new system in
preparation for Windows 10. But of course, whether that's likely to
happen is yet to be seen.
This one's gonna' be big
Three
separate reports lead us to believe that January 21 is going to a bigger
day for Windows than any of us could have imagined. First, the recent
appearance of a "Phone Insider"
app on the Windows Phone store sparked speculation (and claims by The
Verge sources) that January 21 will be when Microsoft pulls the curtain
back on Windows Phone 10, or whatever it ends up being called.
According
to The Verge, the Phone Insider app only allows access to the preview
build for employees, but that's expected to change after this event.
Windows fans will soon have plenty of places to preview the upcoming OS,
it seems.
Now, The Information
reports that Microsoft could also introduce a new piece of hardware at
the event – this time a laptop-phone hybrid product, similar to the Asus Padfone X.
The idea would be to display the seamless nature of Windows 10 across
platforms from its single codebase to a potentially-unified app store.
This ... is ... Spartan (browser)!
Rumors
and reports of Microsoft's overhaul of Internet Explorer (or an
entirely new product), allegedly codenamed "Spartan", have been stirring
for weeks now. But just recently have images of the browser leaked through Chinese website cnBeta, detailing the fabled Cortana integration and darker theme. Credit: cnBetaOf
course, there are likely to be several theme options for the new IE ...
or whatever this product is. What's more important is how Microsoft
seems to be positioning this browser directly against Firefox and
Chrome. (Eventual Office 365 integration a la Google Apps seems like a
no brainer, but take that as wild speculation from this editor.)
Windows and gaming – imagine that
The
upcoming January 21 event at Microsoft's Redmond campus looks awfully
focused on consumers, especially considering the recent news that Microsoft's Xbox lead Phil Spencer will appear to talk about gaming initiatives. "I'll be focusing more on what we are doing on Win10 in January," Spencer said in a tweet on December 11. "It's time for us to talk about gaming on Windows."
A recent Windows 10 leak
from prominent blogger Paul Thurrott's Winsupersite details a new OS
build – #9901, to be exact – that includes an Xbox app on the task bar.
We're itching to find out how Microsoft will redeem itself from Games
for Windows on January 21.
The latest report comes from ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley,
whose sources claim that the company is working on a PC game streaming
service for Windows 10. It's codenamed "Arcadia", and it will serve up
PC and Xbox One games to users, along with certain apps. January 21 just
gets curiouser and curiouser.
[Editor's Note: When contacted for comment, a Microsoft spokesperson simply said, "We have nothing to share."]
Cortana warping over to Windows 10?
That's
right, Windows 10 will see the spread of Cortana, Microsoft's Siri and
Google Now competitor, into all versions of the new OS, including
desktops, laptops and tablets. WinBeta recently posted an overview of a
leaked version of Cortana on Windows 10, voice and all.
The same aforementioned Windows 10 leak
from Thurrott details a new OS build – #9901, to be exact – that debuts
Cortana with a search box on the task bar. This more than likely allows
users to search their PC or the web (through Bing) via typing or their
voice.
Oh, and how could we forget that Windows 10 is slated to hit every current Lumia device? Imagine if Cortana were able to store your usage data across every Windows 10 device you own? Talk about continuity.
But when will this arrive in the public Technical Preview? We'll just have to wait until January to find that out, now won't we.
Microsoft playing to the pirates
It was found in Build #9860 that Microsoft introduced support for the MKV video container to Windows 10.
This also just so happens to be one of the most popular ways to
distribute pirated media online. (Of course, we're sure this wasn't the
point.) While often referred to as a codec, MKV is actually merely a
format that contains content rendered using other codecs, often H.264.
So,
what does this mean for plucky new OS? MKV is just one of several file
formats that will be supported by Windows 10 from day one. Others
include FLAC and HEVC, so expect Windows 10 to be fully prepared for our
4K video and lossless audio future.
Phoning in features
In
issuing the latest Technical Preview build, Microsoft released a fresh
feature to Windows 10, but on that's not new to Windows Phone: notifications. Known as the Action Center on Windows Phone 8.1, Notifications on Windows 10 operate in much the same way.
Featured
as a button on the task bar, Notifications collects alert data from
plenty of sources. "You'll see notifications from the system and apps -
from new emails and invites to IMs, Facebook posts and more - all in one
place, so you don't miss a thing," Microsoft Director of Windows
Program Management Gabe Aul wrote in a blog post. As of December 15, a leaked image of the new Windows 10 Store
on Phone Arena seems to confirm that Microsoft looks to unify the
Windows Phone and desktop app marketplaces into a single online store.
This would be an interesting way to compete with the more prevalent
Apple App Store and Google Play.
Speaking of new features, Microsoft's Joe Belfiore teased new trackpad gestures
that will soon come to Windows 10 during his TechEd Europe keynote in
October 2014. Much similar to the gestures that Mac users are used to,
the new OS will soon respond to three-finger swipes in three directions.
Swiping
downward with three fingers will return you to the desktop from within
any app, while an upward gesture will summon the new task view. Swiping
with three fingers either to the left or right will switch between open
apps. Users will also be able to resize snapped windows with a unique
three-finger gesture.
Shooting for security
Running the
world's most ubiquitous OS, Microsoft has always taken security quite
seriously, often releasing patches daily to its various versions of
Windows. Now, the company looks to take its security measures for
Windows 10, with two-factor authentication (2FA) coming standard on enterprise versions of the OS.
Microsoft
also intends to protect user identities by storing user access tokens
in a secure container that runs on top of Hyper-V technology, isolated
from the rest of the OS. Windows 10 will also offer a data loss
prevention solution that will allow users to separate their corporate
personae from their non-work ones.
... and for your data?
Less than a month out, and already Windows 10 has been pegged for collecting user data.
While this is a beta preview, and as such should be collecting feedback
data, claims from a number of news outlets point to more even more
sensitive information.
The Technical Preview reportedly has the
capability to track and log keystrokes, capture voice data and more.
This may be cause for caution, but keep in mind that almost all, if not
all, modern operating systems track and log some level of usage data.
Though, it's almost always anonymized. One operating system designed with every device in mind
It's still all about unity
Windows
10 will be "one application platform" for all the devices that run
Windows, according to Microsoft Windows head Terry Myerson, with one
store to rule them all. (So to speak.)
While on stage at the
event, Microsoft showed images of the new operating system running on
everything from desktop PCs to smartphones. In fact, Myerson confirmed
that Windows 10 will be the driving OS behind its smartphone platform as
well.
Myerson was mum on the naming conventions (e.g. whether Windows 10 on phones would be known as Windows Phone
10, et. al). But what matters is this: Windows 10 will be behind every
device that Microsoft has a hand in, save most likely for the Xbox One.
Yes, even the Internet of Things
Based on CEO Satya Nadella's recent comments during Gartner's Symposium ITxpo, Windows 10 is almost certainly being developed with the Internet of Things in mind. You'll still be able to get things done with Windows 10"Windows
10 is a very important step for us." Nadella said on stage. "It's the
first step in a new generation of Windows as opposed to just another
release after Windows 8. General purpose computing is going to run on
200 plus billion sensors. We've architected Windows where it can run on
everything."
Microsoft still cares about enterprise
In
fact, the crux of the September 30th event was to speak to enterprise
users and get it in front of them first. "Windows 10 is a very novel
approach of separating corporate and personal data across all devices,"
Myerson said on stage. "Windows 10 is going to be our greatest
enterprise platform, ever."
Microsoft didn't exactly please its
enterprise audience with Windows 8.1 – adoption has been awfully slow.
(And now will likely halt with this new version on the horizon.)
To
that end, Microsoft's Windows Phone guru Joe Belfiore even noted that
the company is "looking to find the balance, so that all the Windows 7
users get a familiar experience on the devices they already have."
The Start menu: bigger, better, stronger
The
return of the Start menu that Microsoft teased during its Build 2014
conference earlier this year was shown off in full force at its Sept.
30th event. Replete with a merging of the traditional Windows 7-style
interface and Windows 8 Live Tiles, the new Start menu is designed to
please both camps: touch and mouse users. "They
don't have to learn any new way to drive," Belfiore said, referring to
Windows 7 business users. That said, customization will also be featured
throughout, first with the ability to resizing the Start menu itself
along with the Live Tiles within.
The Start menu features
empowered search capabilities as well, able to crawl your entire
machine, not to mention web results. (Through Bing and not Google, we'd
imagine.)
Snap to it, will ya?
The traditional Windows 7
Snap View works in Windows 10's desktop mode with classic and universal
apps, enhanced by a new "Snap Assist" interface. Snap Assist works in
tandem with Task View, a new feature that allows users to create
multiple desktop environments within a single instance of Windows 10. Snap windows (and desktops) in all sorts of new waysYou
can now grab apps from different desktops and group them together using
the Snap Assist UI, all of which is mouse or touch controlled. These
features seem more designed for face-level multi-taskers, or people that
rely more on visual computing. Of course, this comes in addition to
enhanced keyboard shortcuts for power users.
Keeping in touch
Microsoft
is keen on maintaining the ground it achieved in touch-based computing
through Windows 8 while reintroducing the intuitive desktop interface of
Windows 7. To that end, many of the new multitasking features will be
optimized for touch devices as well, like Task View. But it doesn't stop
there.
The Redmond firm teased a hybrid interface mode for 2-in-1 laptops
and other hybrid devices. Containing elements of both the current
Windows 8.1 Start screen and the desktop improvements, this new
touch-focused start screen will switch based on the input used.
Think
of a home screen that allows for both touch input, with large icons and
response to gestures or swipes, and more traditional mouse or touchpad
interaction, with smaller buttons and list-like interfaces. Belfiore
called the approach "continuum" on stage, and the philosophy makes sense
at least on paper.
Click on through for a detailed look at the
rumors and leaks leading up to the recent Windows 10 announcement. On
the third page, we projected what Windows 9 – err – Windows 10 would be
like, or at least what we had hoped. Read on to see how much we got
right.
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