Intro To Windows 10

Windows 10 is a personal computer operating system developed by Microsoft as part of the Windows NT family of operating systems. First presented in April 2014 at the Build Conference, it is scheduled to be released in 2015, and is currently in public beta testing. During its first year of availability, Windows 10 will be offered at no charge for consumer users of Windows 8.1 and Windows 7.

Windows 10 aims to improve the user experience for non-touchscreen devices (such as desktop computers and non-touchscreen laptops), by adding a new revision of the desktop Start menu, and a virtual desktopsystem, and allowing Windows Store apps to run within windows on the desktop as well as in full-screen modes; it also aims to cater to tabletsand touch-screen laptops with an easy way to switch between ‘tablet’ full screen modes and ‘desktop’ windowed modes with Continuum. Windows 10 also furthers Microsoft’s ongoing efforts to unify the Windows PC,Windows Phone and Windows Embedded product families around a common internal core and similar user interface

Development

In December 2013, technology writer Mary Jo Foley reported that Microsoft was working on an update to Windows 8, codenamed Threshold after a planet in Microsoft’s Halo franchise.^[1] Similarly to “Blue” (which became Windows 8.1),^[2]Foley called Threshold a “wave of operating systems” across multiple Microsoft platforms and services, scheduled for the second quarter of 2015. Foley reported that among the goals for Threshold was to create a unified application platform and development toolkit for Windows, Windows Phone and Xbox One (which all use a similar Windows NT kernel).^[1][3] It was speculated that Threshold would be branded as “Windows 9”.^[4]

In April 2014, at the Build Conference, Microsoft’s Terry Myerson unveiled an updated version of Windows that added the ability to run Windows Store apps inside desktop windows, and a more traditional Start menu in place of the Start screenseen in Windows 8. The new Start menu takes after Windows 7’s design by using only a portion of the screen and including a Windows 7-style application listing in the first column. The second column displays Windows 8-style app tiles. Myerson stated that these changes would occur in a future update, but did not elaborate.^[5][6] Microsoft also unveiled the concept of a “universal Windows app,” allowing Windows Runtime apps to be ported to Windows Phone 8.1 and Xbox One while sharing a common codebase, and allowing user data and licenses for an app to be shared between multiple platforms.^[5][7]

In July 2014, Microsoft’s new CEO Satya Nadella explained that the company was planning to “streamline the next version of Windows from three operating systems into one single converged operating system for screens of all sizes,” unifying Windows, Windows Phone, and Windows Embedded around a common architecture and a unified application ecosystem. However, Nadella stated that these internal changes would not have any effect on how the operating systems are marketed and sold.^[8][9] Screenshots of a Windows build which purported to be Threshold were leaked in July 2014, showing the previously presented Start menu and windowed apps^[3] followed by further screenshot in September 2014 of a build identifying itself as “Windows Technical Preview”, numbered 9834, showing a new virtual desktop system, a notification center, and a new File Explorer icon inspired by the Metro design language.^[10]

Threshold was officially unveiled during a media event on September 30, 2014, under the name Windows 10; Myerson said that Windows 10 would be Microsoft’s “most comprehensive platform ever,” providing a single, unified platform for desktop computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and all-in-one devices.^[4][11][12] He emphasized that Windows 10 would take steps towards restoring user interface mechanics from Windows 7 to improve the experience for users on non-touch devices, noting criticism of Windows 8’s touch-oriented interface by keyboard and mouse users.^[13][14] Despite these concessions, Myerson noted that the touch-oriented interface would “evolve” as well on 10.^[15] In describing the changes, Joe Belfiorelikened the two operating systems to electric cars, comparing Windows 7 to a first-generation Toyota Prius hybrid, and Windows 10 to an all-electric Tesla—considering the latter to be an extension of the technology first introduced in the former.^[16] Regarding the operating system’s name, Terry Myerson refused to elaborate on why Microsoft skipped directly from Windows 8 to 10, stating only that “based on the product that’s coming, and just how different our approach will be overall, it wouldn’t be right”. He also joked that they couldn’t call it “Windows One” (alluding to several recent Microsoft products with a similar brand, such as OneNote, Xbox One and OneDrive) because they had already made a Windows 1.^[4]

Further details surrounding 10’s consumer-oriented features were presented during another media event held on January 21, 2015, entitled “Windows 10: The Next Chapter”. The keynote featured the unveiling of Cortana integration within the operating system, new Xbox-oriented features, Windows 10 for phones and small tablets, an updated Office Mobile suite,Surface Hub—a large-screened Windows 10 device for enterprise collaboration based upon Perceptive Pixel technology,^[17]along with HoloLens—augmented reality eyewear and an associated platform for building apps that can render “holograms” through HoloLens.^[18] Additional information surrounding Windows 10 is expected to be announced during Build2015.^[13][15][19]