We have previously covered that Microsoft is going from Windows 8 to Windows 10 and skipping the Windows 9 name entirely. However, what will be the new features of this Windows 10 operating system, how much will it cost, when will it be released, and can you get a sneak preview?
As far as the sneak preview goes, the answer is "yes", conditionally. Right now, you can download Microsoft's Windows 10 Technical Preview by going over to the Windows Insider Program website. Not only will you get the Windows 10 Technical Preview, but all the builds as soon as they are available, as well as an easy-to-use feedback application. Yes, Microsoft is doing a Technical Preview because they want user input with Windows 10, and as of last October, one million people are testing Windows 10. This number has most certainly increased in the past two months.
There are many new features with Windows 10, and one of them is that it will be a "one application platform". Trusted Reviews has quoted Microsoft's Windows head Terry Myerson saying that "we're delivering one application platform. One store. One way for applications to be discovered, purchased, and updated across all of these devices." So if you need to download Skype on your PC, don't be surprised if you find it on your Windows phone and tablet. This could be a "game changer" right there.
One feature that most agree on is that Cortana AI will be on every Windows 10 device. Yes, the Windows version of Apple's Siri will be ready for your questions. In addition to voice, users will also be able to touch their screens often as Windows 10 will have a heavy focus on improved touch integration, according to Trusted Reviews.
Touch integration will help another new feature known as Task View, which allows Windows 10 users to flick between virtual desktops. Another new feature, or returning feature, is the Windows Start Menu. Windows 8 users did not like how the Start Menu was missing, so Windows 10 is bringing it back.
Microsoft is also adding a Continuum to Windows 10, a place for users to register how they are using their Windows devices, and then the device will adapt to the user's chosen preferences.
There is also a new multitasking feature known as Snap Assist, which "makes it easier to choose apps to snap together and suggests apps you may want to have open".
This leads to the question of when Windows 10 will be released, for Microsoft just said "sometime in 2015" when it first announced Windows 10 last September. According to Tech Radar, the Technical Preview will end on April 15th of next year, and then Microsoft will have a Build conference, where the company plans to talk about Universal applications and will probably drop the release date there.
So it sounds great, but how much does it cost? Well, Microsoft has been absolutely "no comment" on that subject, and I would imagine that detail won't be given until the due date.
