A few weeks ago we informed that Microsoft would have a major Windows event on January 21 this year. The company had it and along with the event Microsoft brought a ton of interesting news.
We’ll start with the most exciting information – Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for people who own and run Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1. Yes, you did not see Windows 8 in the list, which means you will have to upgrade your Windows 8 OS to Windows 8.1 before you even attempt to get Windows 10 for free. Furthermore the free upgrade offer will be in force for 1 year only after Windows 10 launches and if you miss this time period you will have to pay to upgrade to the new OS. All the promised features are still there too – Windows 10 will be a multi-platform OS and will run on tablets, smartphones and computers, there’s Cortana, a new Start button and menu, and more. Windows 10 also brings the demise of Internet Explorer – the immensely popular web browser will be replaced by a new one that is currently known as Project Spartan. It will bring all-new code, new features and integration with other Microsoft features. Xbox also comes to PC – there will be an Xbox app for launch on every Windows 10 PC. It will bring Xbox One features like messages, friend lists, activity feeds and more to your PC. In addition you will be able to chat with other people on Xbox Live, view videos and console achievements and much more.
One more thing that gamers should be aware of – Windows 10 will bring DirectX 12 to the market but the new version of the famous multimedia API will remain limited to this version of Windows only. In other words people who run Windows 7 or Windows 8 will remain limited to DirectX 11 unless they upgrade their operating systems.
During the event Microsoft also announced other products such as a giant 84-inch 4K touchscreen TV set called Surface Hub. It is designed for your workplace and has cameras, speakers, mics, NFC, Bluetooth and a sensor display that can work with a stylus. Microsoft HoloLens is also a similar high-tech gadget – it is a virtual reality headset that overlays holographic imagery over the real world. It does that through the help of a new holographic processor – the device also has sensors to detect the real world and gestures of the user as well as holographic sound. There is no need for wires too and HoloLens does not need to connect to PCs or other digital devices in order to work.
Unfortunately Microsoft has not mentioned a Windows 10 release date but we can be sure the new OS, as well as the other mentioned Microsoft gadgets, will arrive this year.
Source: Microsoft