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Windows 10 lands end-July

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 01 Jun 2015
Windows users can pre-order a copy of Windows 10 from today.
Windows users can pre-order a copy of Windows 10 from today.

Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 10, will be available for download from 29 July, says operating systems executive VP Terry Myerson.

The software giant, which has been opening up its code to developers, has touted Windows as being the best operating system it has created, and offering greater ease of use and more security than any platform currently available.

The pending arrival of the OS has, however, held the PC market back, with the IDC noting end-users are more likely to buy a PC after the software becomes available. Locally, the launch of Windows 10 is seen as hampering PC sales in the channel, although it does provide an opportunity for distributors to reinvent themselves. PC sellers can also expect some respite in the decline in tablet sales, a device that had previously been eating into the PC market.

Windows 10 will be the first OS to be unveiled under CEO Satya Nadella, and will arrive about three years after the debut of the current Windows 8 OS. Microsoft's incumbent OS, Windows 8, largely underwhelmed and has been widely described as a failure.

Microsoft has now leapt from Windows 8 to 10 to signify the move to unify the way people work on tablets, phones and traditional computers. Windows first unveiled the OS last September, and followed that launch with a technical preview.

"Through the feedback and testing of over four million Windows Insiders, we've made great progress on Windows 10 and we're nearly ready to deliver this free upgrade to all of our Windows customers," says Myerson.

The Windows 10 upgrade is designed to be compatible with current Windows devices and applications and can be reserved now.

Myerson says Windows 10 was designed to create a new generation of Windows for the 1.5 billion people using Windows today in 190 countries around the world.

"With Windows 10, we start delivering on our vision of more personal computing, defined by trust in how we protect and respect your personal information, mobility of the experience across your devices, and natural interactions with your Windows devices, including speech, touch, ink, and holograms. We designed Windows 10 to run our broadest device family ever, including Windows PCs, Windows tablets, Windows phones, Windows for the Internet of things, Microsoft Surface Hub, Xbox One and Microsoft HoloLens - all working together to empower you to do great things."

Windows 10 brings back the Start menu and claims to be faster, with quick start-up and resume. It includes personal assistant Cortana and the new Edge browser, and new universal Windows applications for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are available separately.

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