Microsoft has formally announced the latest iteration of its computer operating system at its
media event, but it isn't named
Windows 9. The incoming Windows 10, set to be made available to users next year, is being billed by the company as the "most comprehensive platform ever," with the software expected to run on the broadest range of device types, including computers, mobile devices, and the "Internet of Things" ecosystem.
Windows 10 will be offering "one tailored experience" with one application platform, with a
single store allowing apps to be purchased and updated across multiple Windows devices. This forms part of Microsoft's continued push for
unified apps, with software using a singe common architecture that doesn't change between hardware setups.
Just as previously rumored, Microsoft is slowly pulling away from the Live Tile-heavy "Metro" experience it introduced in Windows 8 and continued in Windows 8.1. The Start Menu has returned, combining a list apps on one side, familiar to Windows 7 users, while another column contains pinned Live Tiles, with a unified search box at the bottom bringing up results within the Start Menu itself. Joe Belifore, vice president of the Operating Systems Group at Microsoft, suggests "it gives the familiarity of Windows 7 with some of the elements of Windows 8."
Metro-style apps, or Universal apps, will now load up in their own window on the desktop. The snap view has been altered to work on the desktop rather than pushing the desktop off to one side, and having the Universal app seeming have a "different environment" to the main desktop. "We don't want that duality. We want users on PCs with mice and keyboards to have their familiar UI," advised Belifore. Up to four apps can be snapped in the desktop, with Windows offering suggestions for other apps to snap in the remaining area when one app is snapped in place.
One new addition to the taskbar is a Task View button, allowing the user to view all currently open applications and files without having to use the Alt-Tab key combination. The same button also brings up a row of virtual desktops at the bottom of the screen, helping power users multitask by splitting up apps between tasks, or by setting one desktop specifically for work use and having another for free time purposes.
While it is keen to show off the new features of Windows 10, Microsoft is also preparing to allow for interested users to download a "Technical Preview" version of the software via the
Windows Insider program. Starting from tomorrow, users signing up will gain beta access to an unpolished version of Windows 10 meant for desktops and notebooks, with the operating system also including a Windows Feedback app for notifying Microsoft of issues and providing suggestions for changes.
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