What an amazing briefing today about the latest Windows 10 development. Microsoft is really back after their briefing today showing innovation leadership. The most spectacular announcement first:
This is really disruptive! Forget about Google Glas. I just want to try it right now and learn how to use the gestures and voice building 3d objects and calling colleagues or friends via Skype. WOW!
Watch Joe Belfiore presenting Windows 10 features in the video:
Headlines of the Windows 10 briefing in a short summary (source: http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/01/21/the-next-generation-of-windows-windows-10/):
- Delivering Windows as a Service and a Free Upgrade to Windows 10: Great opportunity for existing customer to get the latest and greatest for free. It is also a great idea of Microsoft to protect their existing customer base and move them faster to a new version. The OS is becoming a freemium for existing customers, even if you have Windows Phone 8.1.
- New Windows 10 Experiences
- Cortana, Microsoft’s personal digital assistant, comes to PC and tablet, for the first time with Windows 10: Cortana is the new Siri. Again a clever move to reinvent mobile approaches to a different platform. Copy Siri from iOS to Windows 10 and you get Cortana.
- Windows 10 for phones and tablets: Unifying the OS for all platforms is a smart move even Microsoft is not strong in phone or tablet market.
- A new web experience for Windows 10 – Code-named “Project Spartan”: This is the latest web browser experience of Microsoft. There has been plenty of articles about this project, if a new browser is really needed if you have a look at competitors and versions in place. As the browser still is major gatekeeper for the internet, this is a strategic decision and approach to gain back lost territory.
- Office universal apps on Windows 10: The cash cow of Microsoft now as universal app via store.
- New universal applications will ship with Windows 10: Consistent user experience for applications on various devices is critical. Good learning from Apple iPhone and iPad spread now to a unified OS approach for all devices.
- Xbox Live and the new Xbox App bring new game experiences to Windows 10: I don’t own a Xbox neither a Playstation, but I think this might be the right time to think about it after all announcements. It would be great to learn how to leverage gamification for myself. This in combination with the new 84-inch Smart TV :D!
- Continuum Mode for 2 in 1 devices: Seamlessly switch between touch and hardware.
- New Windows 10 Devices
- Microsoft Surface Hub Unlocks the Power of Group Computing: Collaboration becomes the center for connected devices designed for the way teams in the workplaces naturally interact and come together. Digital white boarding, instant remote conferencing, the ability for multiple people to share and edit content on the screen from any device is possible with Surface Hub.
I am very excited and enthusiastic after watching the briefing. Can’t wait to try the new hardware, especially HoloLens flashed my mind. This is a dream coming true having the opportunity to work and play in a virtual environment available for the mass.
I want to end this post with the statement of Sadya Nadella:
Rewatch the briefing again? More pictures and short movies here: http://news.microsoft.com/windows10story/
What do you think? Please share your thoughts!
Patrick Sauerwein | @virtual_patrick 