There was great speculation about Windows 9 for the last few months but Microsoft surprised everyone when it skipped version 9 and instead announced Windows 10 to follow the rich legacy of operating systems. The new operating system is expected to hit the market late next year but Microsoft has introduced a fully functional technical preview. The first release of the new OS would be specifically targeted towards the business users with the consumer version following soon. Let us now take a quick look into what is expected of the Windows 10 OS from the Microsoft stable.
Start Menu Is Back
The return of start menu will surely be celebrated in the new version. Microsoft had invited severe criticism from users when it did away with the start menu in Windows 8. The new OS would now have the all all-familiar desktop interface, with a Windows button in the bottom left corner which users had become used to and was clearly missed. Though live tiles in Windows 8 were colorful and targeted towards touch screen users, overall it wasn’t popular with majority of users. So the U-turn towards the desktop interface is a welcome step.
Apps on Desktop
Windows 8 had taken a bold step in introducing apps to cater to the increasing number of smartphone and tablet users. This feature however didn’t grab much attention as most users preferred to stay on the desktop. Windows 10 goes a step further and allows you to open and use these apps in the traditional desktop. You can in fact open the store staying in the desktop and minimize it which wasn’t possible in the earlier version of Windows.
Virtual Desktop
Virtual Desktop is a new addition in the new OS Microsoft and this allows you to have more than one desktop. You could use this feature to have a desktop for your work related apps and one for your personal use. However this isn’t polished enough as only a few apps can simultaneously run on both desktops. For instance Internet Explorer would support it but not Microsoft Word.
Multi-Tasking Bar
Let’s be honest most of us hated the multi-tasking bar in Windows 8 but the one in Windows 10 is surely more likeable. The new task view button sits very next to the start menu and brings up live thumbnails of the all the operational apps. You won’t have to use the Alt-Tab command to view them. Pressing Alt-Tab would in fact take you to the same screen. There is a little bit of Mac in this and the view is quite similar to the Mission Control that you find in Apple’s OS X.
Windows 10 is under development and the final version might look quite different compared to the technical preview that has been launched. Windows 10 is a bold move by Microsoft to take the old guard and have laptop and desktop users at the core of its heart rather than try being an eye candy operating system which Windows 8 truly is.
