Microsoft Announces Windows 10

Microsoft announced Windows 10 today, its next version of Windows operating system during an event in San Francisco, well to the surprise of everyone its not dubbed windows 9 as expected. A very interesting feature of the windows 10 is that it will work across all types of device from phones, computers to tablets and the Internet of Things.

The new operating system also comes with a host of other features which we will be mentioning.

The Start Menu Is Back

All the New Stuff Coming to Windows 10

Microsoft previewed this all the way back in April, and it looks like we won’t be seeing it on our desktops until Windows 10. The new Start menu will look familiar, with some hints of Windows 8, including live tiles that you can resize and move around yourself. You can even resize the entire Start menu to your liking. Microsoft says their goal here is personalization, so you can make the Start menu work for you. It will also include universal search, just like the old Start menu—but with the addition of web results.

Modern Apps Come to the Desktop, in Windowed Form

All the New Stuff Coming to Windows 10

Again, we saw this back in April, but Microsoft is officially bringing “Modern” apps to the desktop, just like ModernMix currently does on Windows 8. They’ll be called “universal apps,” and work like pretty much any other windowed app on the desktop.

Improved Multitasking and Multiple Desktops

All the New Stuff Coming to Windows 10

Taking a cue from OS X and Linux, Microsoft is finally adding two very popular features to Windows: an Exposé-like multitasking feature called “Task View”, where you can see all your open windows at once, and the ability to create multiple desktops for better Window organization (known as Spaces on the Mac). You can launch this multitasking view from a new “Task View” button in the taskbar.

Aero Snap is also getting a little update, letting you snap up to four windows at once. It’ll show window previews for other open windows in any empty spaces so you can easily drag them into view.

An Updated Command Prompt

Microsoft actually updated the command prompt in Windows 10. Actually, they only previewed one specific update: the ability to paste a directory into the Command Prompt with Ctrl+V (instead of right-clicking, which you currently have to do). Okay, it seems like a silly little update, but if you ever use the Command Prompt, you know how awesome this is. Hopefully they’ll add a few other goodies to the terminal before launch.

Updates to the Touch Interface

Microsoft’s big goal with Windows 10 is to create a more unified experience across devices, including tablets and PCs. That sounds an awful lot like their goal with Windows 8, but it looks like they’re trying a different, less fractured approach with Windows 10. There’s a swipe gesture for Task View, for example, and the windows have enlarged buttons to make them easier to touch. Windows will automatically switch to this more touch-friendly view when it detects that you’re using a touch screen.

Microsoft says Windows 10 will launch later in 2015 with no words yet as regards pricing.

Credit: Lifehacker