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alanjg007
23-01-2015, 09:26 AM
Microsoft?s eagerly anticipated Windows 10 reveal is now over. The headline from Microsoft?s multitude OS based announcements? Windows 10 will be free at the time of release.(from certain win7/windows 8.1 versions)

Windows 10 has been a slow burn for Microsoft. Their 2014 tease began the breakup from the disaster of Window 8, and ever since speculation has been rife over the direction Microsoft would take their operating system.

And at their event in Seattle yesterday, they confirmed one of the most prominent rumours of the lot, Windows 10 will be free update for users of Windows 8.1, Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 mobile. Microsoft?s generous offer will last for twelve months after the official release date, which is expected to be mid-2015.

Users of the Windows 10 technical preview (of which I am one, check out my hands on) can expect a new Windows 10 build in the very near future. The programme will then be ended on April 15th, at which point Microsoft are likely to give an official release date.


Windows 10 on Mobile

Alongside the headline news, Microsoft also revealed a number of new features to Windows 10, including the first ever peak at the mobile version of the OS. Windows 10 mobile is big on integration and continuity. Following in the footsteps of Apple, Microsoft want to create a bridge between all your Windows devices.

To do so, Microsoft suggested improvements such as single-gesture printing, transferring Skype calls and presentation control. Other impressive features revealed for Windows 10 mobile included syncing with your PC?s Action Centre, a free suite of Office apps, and the integration of Skype into your standard messaging app. Building Skype right into the Windows 10 mobile OS will allow the user to flip between text communication and video calling instantly.


Windows 10 on Xbox

The reach of Windows 10 has no bounds it seems. The news that Windows 10 will also incorporate your Xbox One is further evidence of Microsoft building their device ecosystem. With Windows 10 on Xbox, gaming is going to become more social. The new Xbox app, available across all Windows 10 platforms, will be a sort of Facebook for gamers. With the inbuilt activity feed, users can keep track of their friend?s achievements and progress during games, as well uploading photos and videos of your gameplay. The app will even work with gaming platforms such as Steam, further branching out Microsoft?s social gaming ambitions.

That wasn?t the only news for owners of the latest Xbox console. Gamers will soon have the capabilities to stream their Xbox One games to any Windows 10 device on their network. PlayStation already have a similar concept in place with Remote Play, but with Microsoft?s vastly superior user base, Xbox One streaming could be a real hit.


Windows 10 Web Browsing

The revelations didn?t stop there. As has been expected for some time now, Microsoft are ditching their infamous Internet Explorer browser, to be replaced by ?Project Spartan?. The all new browser was kept largely under wraps for now, but MS insisted it had been built for speed. They did announce Cortana, Windows? answer to Siri, would be fully immersed within the browser, as it will be for the whole of Windows 10.

Cortana will sit in the top corner of your browser, offering a stream of convenient information. Examples presented were changes to your upcoming flight times or directions and booking information for a restaurant you?re currently browsing the website of.



Windows 10 in AR

One, final unveiling from Microsoft?s plethora of Windows 10 madness comes a little from left field. Via a new wearable headset, Windows 10 will contain an augmented reality mode that blends holograms with real life objects in your world. Named Hololens, the holographic headset is similar to Google Glass and Oculus Rift, offering an alternative view of the real world.



It was all seems very prototype at this stage, but Microsoft did throw in a couple of examples of how they see it being used. Rather than the consumer fashion item Google hoped the Glass would be, Hololens may be directed more at business. For example, architects could use the headset during a survey, beaming over their designs to clients situated cross-country. Despite their being no necessity to pair the device with a PC, Microsoft promised that Hololens would be released in the in the Windows 10 ?timeframe?.

That pretty much wraps up the Windows 10 reveal. Their dramatic change in policy to now offering a free OS is no doubt aimed at driving people away from Windows 7. Currently still the most used OS, users have been dragging their heels in protest against the metro style Windows 8. The 12-month offer of a free upgrade will see Microsoft take a short-term financial hit, but if it ships users to their new Microsoft ecosystem, it could reap significant long term benefits.



All is forgiven from Windows 8?

Microsoft has set out to right the wrongs of its previous operating systems. They tried to reconnect with lovers of Windows 7 with the return of the Start Menu. Spartan promises to overhaul their dreadful web browser, and with the Microsoft ecosystem now in full throttle, Window 10 might just prove a success.

More info here (http://www.ebuyer.com/blog/2015/01/windows-10-will-be-free/)

Gazer
23-01-2015, 11:09 AM
I like the sound of free :)

fergalsworld
23-01-2015, 11:18 AM
?There are, as you might expect, one or two catches??????????Notably, it?ll only be free for the 12-month period???????????.it could be construed as a thinly-veiled ploy to get everybody switching early.?

More info on W10 here
http://www.howtogeek.com/207899/microsoft-announces-windows-10-it-has-holograms-but-should-you-care/?PageSpeed=noscript

rancid
27-01-2015, 02:09 AM
I suspect it will be free for home edition but not professional.

With mac os free upgrades for compatible devices, chrome os, android and not forgetting Linux based os. Microsoft have there work cut out to keep their home market share, especially after the bad design of windows 8 and it's not so successfully uptake. They need to claw back their market share somehow and this may just sway people back to Microsoft but if they start charging to much or make windows subscription base it would be a very bad move for them.

The Business market will take on windows 10 professional with a better reception than win8 and I suspect will migrate sooner than later. Can't see Microsoft giving this away for free to business due to the huge revenue loss.

I maybe wrong but looking forward to the free upgrade from win7, I just pity the fools who splashed out on windows 8 when they could of waited and got it fee, kick in the teeth for them really.