Microsoft showed off more on the consumer side of Windows 10, along with Project Spartan, Hololense, Surface Hub, and Cortana. This was one of the first major announcements from CEO Satya Nadella since he took over from Steve Ballmer. Microsoft showed off a more universal Windows 10 that works on your phone, tablet, laptop, desktop all with a similar experience.
Hololens was the coolest announcement from Microsoft, but we are very weary of what they are promising. This is the same company who promised the Kinect would be the next thing in gaming. You’d be able to hold a skate board up to the camera and it would appear in the game, but now its become a pipe dream at best. The Hololens is a virtual reality headset which manipulates and create virtual objects in your surroundings. Some have compared it to Google Glass but it looks like Microsoft wants it to be something you use in your home for fun or work, not something you wear everywhere you go. Their wasn’t a price or release date, but its clear everyone was focused on this more than Windows 10.
Windows 10 will be free for the first year for some users after its release to the public, which is a huge shift from charging outrageous prices for upgrades or almost requiring buying a new device. To be eligible for the free upgrade you must be running Windows 8.1 or Windows 7. Distribution is a huge factor for the success of Windows 10, and with so many people resistant to upgrading the price tag of free could entice people and businesses to upgrade.
Windows 10 being a universal operation system it works with Microsoft’s Xbox One. The Xbox App on Windows 10 will allow you to play with friends online no matter if they are playing on their tablet, laptop, or Xbox One. The app will allow gamers to stream games from the Xbox One to any tablet or PC running Windows 10. Xbox head Phil Spencer demonstrated this onstage by playing Forza Horizon 2 from his PC.
Windows 10 also bring the start menu back, but with a small twist. The menu will have live tiles like the new start window that was introduced with Windows 8. This will give users the usefulness of the live tiles but the familiariness of the desktop and traditional start menu. Cortona, Microsoft’s personal assistant, will also be integrated in Windows 10 and Project Spartan; Microsoft’s new internet browser which will work on all platforms.
Microsoft is struggling to stay relevant in a mobile world where Google and Apple dominates the space. They’ve made interesting and surprising steps to continue to stay a market leader in the consumer and business market. They also showed how they are innovating with Hololens. On top of that they are trying to become cool by ditching Internet Explorer in favor of a new internet browser.
This event gave us a glimpse of the direction Microsoft will take under its new CEO, and how they will try to compete in a mobile market. Tell us in the comments below what you thought about Microsoft’s Windows 10 event.