Announcing Windows 10
Yesterday our US colleagues announced the next version of Windows – Windows 10. In his Windows blog, Terry Myerson, Executive Vice President of the Operating Systems group (OSG) talked about how Windows 10 “unlocks new experiences for customers to work, play and connect. It’ll run across an incredibly broad set of devices – from the Internet of Things, to servers in enterprise datacenters worldwide”. Windows 10 is one product family offering a tailored experience for each device.
Windows 10 has been built for organizations and their employees, with a more familiar user experience and some key features enterprises really need built into the core of the OS, including enterprise-grade security, identity and information protection features, reducing complexity and providing a better experience for the needs of business. To help lower costs Windows 10 has simplified management and deployment, with in-place upgrades from Windows 7 or 8 that are focused on making device wipe-and-reload scenarios obsolete. Businesses also have more choice in how quickly they adopt the latest innovations, and are delivering continued improvements based on customer feedback.
What does this mean? In a nutshell:
• One Application platform with tailored user experiences based upon the device.
• One Store, customisable for the Enterprise delivering Universal Apps.
• One Management solution across all devices, whether IoT, PC, Phone or Tablet
• One security solution across all devices and separation of personal & corporate data on the device.
New features include:
1. Expanded Start Menu: The familiar Start menu is back providing quick one-click access to the functions and files that people use most, and includes a new space to personalize with favourite apps, programs, people, and websites.
2. Apps run in a window: Apps from the Windows Store now open in the same format that desktop programmes do. They can be resized and moved around, and have title bars at the top allowing for maximize, minimize, and close with a click.
3. Snap Enhancements: Snap improvements mean working in multiple apps at once is more intuitive. You can have up to four apps snapped on the same screen with a new quadrant layout. Windows will also show other apps and programs running for additional snapping and even make smart suggestions on filling available screen space with other open apps.
4. New Task View Button: The new task view button on the task bar enables quick-switching between apps, and one-touch access to any desktops created.
5. Virtual Desktop: Instead of too many apps and files overlapping on a single desktop, it’s easy to create and switch between distinct desktops for different purposes and projects—whether for work or personal use, or both.
If you want to experience is for yourself, from 1st October you can join the Windows Insider Programme where you get an early technical preview of Windows 10 plus a steady stream of builds through the development cycle, so you can give direct feedback to the product team. Soon after, we’ll also be releasing technical previews of Windows Server and our management tools.
App compatibility is also key, with new tools for compatibility testing and a streamlined upgrade process that can be started using your current management infrastructure.
Read the full announcement details from Terry here and more about the Enterprise features in Jim Alkove’s post on the Windows blog.