10 Facts the Channel Should Know About Windows 10
The Last Upgrade
Windows 10 is a service that can be continuously upgraded for free at the discretion of the end user. The concept of new versions will be no more.
Windows 10 Will Have Two Browser Options
The new Spartan browser will ship with Windows 10, but customers will be able to deploy Internet Explorer to support existing applications. Both browsers will share a common rendering engine.
Microsoft Office 2016 Coming Soon
Details are still sparse, but Microsoft Office 2016 is scheduled to arrive in the second half of 2015. Microsoft will include free Office apps with smartphones and mini tablets (sub-8-inch) when the Windows 10 OS ships later this year.
Tapping Into Machine Learning Service in the Cloud
Insights for Office will leverage Microsoft search and machine learning technology running on Microsoft Azure to deliver snippets of in-context information and images while users craft their documents.
Microsoft Outlook Gets Smarter
Microsoft Outlook borrows richer authoring capabilities inspired by Microsoft Word and adds new touch controls for managing the inbox.
Windows Application Development Evolves
Microsoft is pushing a universal app development platform with the delivery of a release candidate of Visual Studio 2013 Update 2. Developers can write code once and have it run on multiple Windows devices.
Windows App Store Gets a Makeover
In addition to sporting a new user interface, Microsoft plans to make it easier for developers to tap into in-app advertising opportunities.
Support for DirectX 12 This Way ComesDirectX 12 support is in Windows 10, but drivers that support the next iteration of Microsoft multimedia APIs are still absent.
Smarter Network Tools On Tap
New and improved network tools will capture and debug network traffic with a new user experience and capabilities, such as auto-start, a content type filter and error highlighting.
Digital Assistants Become Ubiquitous
The Cortana digital assistant found on Windows Phone is now available on all instances of Windows 10. Cortana reminders should show up in the Microsoft Action Center icon.