So Windows, what did we miss?

In a poorly covered important event by Microsoft, In an event where Terry Myerson (Executive VP, Operating Systems, Microsoft) apparently said that for the first time there are more Windows devices than there are people and that 1.5bn people now use Windows (Lame), Windows lost track of the number system and jumped from 8 – 8.1 to 10. Or like my sister’s musing, they took it literally that 7 ate(8) 9 and so they skipped (lol).

Yes, the latest windows iteration is to be called Windows 10.

The preview of the same will be made available from tomorrow. This means we are hopefully looking at a Consumer release some time mid-next year.

So as per Joe Belfiore (VP, Windows, Microsoft) the feature changes/improvements that we are looking at are:

• Return of the Start Menu (something I had stopped missing). It is a customizable Start Menu with live tiles integrated into the Start Menu also.
• There is the very powerful search (that I am used to love in Windows 8.1) now on both the taskbar as well as the Start Menu.
• The modern UI apps, which Belfore calls Windows Store apps, can now be resized and can be used in desktop mode as well.
• Smarter multi-tasking with task view right off the taskbar. This allows you to see a view of all the open apps and switch between them.
• The snap view has been improved. Windows now suggests apps that are open and can be snapped, when one of the apps is in snap view. It allows up-to 4 apps to be snapped.
• The multi-tasking seems to be further improved with the multi-desktop feature. With this, the user can setup various environments on various desktop views and switch between as per the requirement (a feature that Apple’s OSX already has).

That seems about it at the moment. Microsoft seems to have listened to its users on a better transition product from Windows 7, unlike Windows 8 which tried to be revolutionary. It also is trying to create One Ecosystem for all devices and seems to be closer to it than any other company presently.

Vaguely mentioned, it seems that the UI is now friendly to both types of inputs, Keyboard-mice as well as touch. It is said to adapt to the input and respond accordingly. While it seems to be near perfect, it is to be seen on how it is implemented in real life.

But, as Joe Belfiore was pointing out, the preview will be a glimpse at the unpolished product which is just a scratch on the surface of the real product.

I can’t wait to try it. Downloading the preview as and when it is available has been put into my to-do list.