Technology giant Microsoft boasts its new operating system (OS) will be its best ever, offering more ease of use and greater security than any platform currently available.
This is according to Terry Myerson, executive VP of the operating systems group at Microsoft, speaking this evening during a press and analyst event in Redmond, Washington. During the event, broadcast live, CEO Satya Nadella and several other executives provided a deeper look at the upcoming Windows 10 operating system.
Windows 10 will be the first OS to be unveiled under Nadella, and is expected to launch around spring (locally) this year, an event that comes 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. Myerson said the Windows 10 the company is showcasing today is an improved version from what it initially launched.
Myerson noted Microsoft has 1.7 million "insiders" that have installed Windows 10 three million times, and have provided 800 000 pieces of feedback, which Microsoft has taken into account and is helping to shape the OS.
Windows 10 boasts seamless change-over when working with two-in-one devices, a seamless transition from Windows 7 and 8, new ways of being productive and having fun, and enterprise-level security that would have countered some of the recent headline-grabbing attacks, said Myerson.
Myerson added Microsoft will offer free upgrades for the first year after Windows 10 launches, for all devices running Windows 8.1 - the upgrade to Windows 8 - as well as those running Windows Phone 8.1 and everything running Windows 7. "Today really is a monumental day for Windows."
Windows 10 is great for the enterprise, developers and customers, he noted. "Windows 10 changes the rules of the game."
According to Microsoft, Windows 10 adapts to the devices customers are using - from Xbox to PCs, and phones to tablets and tiny gadgets - and what they are doing, with a consistent, familiar and compatible experience.
Among the evolutions in the new OS Microsoft highlighted this evening is an amended 'charm bar' to be more user-friendly, better control over settings and the ability to easily interact with apps. Myerson added Microsoft is expanding its range of devices, and Windows 10 will support its "broadest device family ever".
Some of the demonstrations showcased were builds of Windows 10 that have yet to be finished, which were displayed so Microsoft can involve its developer community more closely. These will be rolled out to its insider group over the next few months.
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